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By
Alison
Gleeson
Every part of our lives today, per-
sonal and professional, is reliant on
digital engagement. We depend on
digital connectivity to communicate
for work, with friends and family, as
well as for personal entertainment.
Just look at Pokemon Go, the
mobile augmented reality game dis-
rupted the video game market and
brought a 20-year old franchise back
into 2016 mainstream adult life. The
game’s success produced a $9 bil-
lion dollar market bump for Nintendo,
and it shows how consumer markets
can drive enormous value through
digital technologies and platforms.
Every business in every industry –
from manufacturing, finance and retail
to healthcare, utilities and govern-
ment – needs to be fast, flexible and
digital. New technologies are driving,
disrupting and enhancing how busi-
nesses, B2B and B2C, operate and
engage with customers. But this shift
is accompanied by security concerns.
Adversaries are evolving to capitalize
on an increasingly digital world and
these connections (mobile devices,
smart sensors, etc.) are channels
threats will target to infiltrate the net-
work. Security is an unavoidable chal-
lenge that businesses across North
America and the world must address
to compete in the digital era.
One of the biggest mistakes compa-
nies make is diving into digital transfor-
mation without incorporating security.
Planning is essential to success. Too
many companies believe security can
easily be added on the backend, but
that increases complexity and risk
in the long run. Smart city technolo-
gies, smart lighting, in-store consumer
engagements – all of the innovative
examples of digital connection aren’t
possible without security as a part of
the foundation for long-term success.
This foundation starts with being
aware of trends in the threat land-
scape. Cisco’s 2016 midyear cyber-
security report found ransomware
attacks, which use malware to block
individuals and organizations from ac-
cessing systems or information until
money is paid, grew substantially in
the first half of 2016.
One notable ransomware incident
involved MedStar Health, one of the larg-
est healthcare providers in the Wash-
ington D.C. area. The attack shut down
important clinical information systems
for two weeks while attackers asked for
payment in exchange for a digital key
to decrypt data. Hospitals had to turn
away patients, insurance claims weren’t
submitted, and prescriptions couldn’t
be dispensed. This tarnished MedStar
Health’s brand and more importantly
decreased trust with its patient popula-
tion. MedStar IT leaders acted quickly to
identify solutions such as Stealthwatch
and OpenDNS to provide visibility into
the breach so it could be addressed and
improve application and network security
after the systems were back on line.
Safe
Transport
D
igital transformation represents trillions of dollars in global
economic opportunity across private and public sectors.
Surprising? It shouldn’t be.
Securing businesses in the era of Pokemon Go
Cyber Patrol
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Channel
Vision
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January - February, 2017