Emerging Technology- February 2017

A new year and a wave of new wave of emerging technology topics have been unleashed in 2017.  Hot topics include mysterious things such as “Deep Learning”, “Block Chain” and “Augmented Reality”.  However exciting and mysterious these topics are my attention keeps gravitating back to a seemingly less exciting topic, Enterprise Security.

Recently, a friend of mine called me asking for help with office computer.  I often serve as tech support to my friends and family.   But this was no tech support call.   He owns a very successful construction business operated out of a small office with a couple PC’s and printers.   A few weeks ago, his office manager was locked out of the business computer where accounting, payroll and tax information is stored.  Ransomware was holding his business hostage until a phone call came in with instructions on how to pay via bitcoins for the release of their PC.   This PC was supporting a multi-million-dollar business with dozens of employees. He was adamant that he would not pay a ransom and wanted to just start over. 

It became clear to me that while we will schedule annual physicals for ourselves we don’t often think about the security health of our businesses.  A security audit may not sound like an emerging technology.  I pose that a security should be the second thought when digesting information on new and emerging technologies.  Moreover, if your company has not had a comprehensive audit it is time to schedule one.  Corporate security is much more than just your “firewall”.  Vulnerabilities are now found and exploited in your company connected devices, software and most alarming in your people.  A comprehensive security audit will look at your business holistically delivering more than just how your vulnerable.  It will give your company a plan and roadmap to evolve your technology and people into a secure enterprise.