12.21.21 -- Are We Safe? A CEO's Guide To Addressing Cybersecurity Concerns

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global e-commerce transactions generated nearly $30 trillion last year, including $25.516 trillion for business-to-business (B2B) transactions and $3.851 trillion for business-to-consumer (B2C) sales. Most projections see global e-commerce continuing to grow for the foreseeable future, driven by entrepreneurs starting new online businesses and brick-and-mortar business owners looking for the fastest way to start selling their products online.

The ability to recover from data loss is a measure of cyber fitness. As with any good fitness plan, it requires regular workouts as part of an overall fitness regimen. The difference is instead of lifting heavier weights for more reps, the goal you’re working toward is assurance that service-level agreements (SLAs) can be met. To get started, take an accounting of all the systems, software, and platforms in the organization and create categories.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail industry was transforming itself to adopt new technologies and accommodate evolving consumer preferences. Now, as retailers look beyond the pandemic, they need to invest in new technologies and services to stay competitive in the digital future. For point of sale (POS) solution providers, this opens profit-generating opportunities to sell technology solutions and deliver long-term services.

Researchers have recently unveiled the latest potential victim for malware authors: biological laboratories. By illicitly accessing these facilities, hackers may be able to digitally replace sections of DNA strings, causing unexpected results when biologists go to create or experiment with these compounds. While it is fortunate that this specific targeted attack was simulated in a closed environment, it brought to light the extreme focus that a cyberattack may be capable of implementing, and the lengths some attackers may go to accomplish their goal.

In this digital age, companies are becoming increasingly more serious about protecting their data. Implementing strategies and tactics to protect sensitive information will allow companies to protect their customers from fraud and identity theft. It also will help to safeguard the reputation of their firm.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of businesses to make significant changes to their operations. The shift to a largely remote workforce impacted the day-to-day lives of employees, but it also impacted how businesses interact with their partners. When the shift to virtual operations occurred, it became more difficult to forge new relationships with vendors, integrators, and customers. Hands-on, face-to-face interaction was the lifeblood of many industries—the security industry included—and the inability to engage in those interactions posed a significant challenge.