Our experienced team have developed new skills over the years. One thing they all had from the very beginning though was a proactive outlook. Adopting a security by design approach is then something we aim to encourage amongst our clients. Whether in maritime, cruise, travel or healthcare scenarios, building in risk thinking from the onset enables true cyber security innovation.
Many organisations today are aware that they must embrace new technologies and continually innovate to remain competitive. Constant development leads to vulnerabilities being introduced, thereby increasing the risk factor. Would-be cyber-attackers are also always aiming to exploit any weaknesses, with a growing number of tools at their disposal. The rise of ‘hacktivism’ and cyber-terrorism are major threats to cyber security worldwide. Seemingly anyone seeking to cause damage can easily do so.
Threat levels are on the rise
Cyber-attacks often lead to huge financial losses, with ransomware an ever-growing trend across a variety of industries. Organisations are not the only targets, however, nor is money the only loss. More government-run entities are now experiencing cyber incidents. For example, in 2016, hackers shut down the power grid of a region in the Ukraine. This left more than 200,000 people without electricity.
Society is also impacted via the wilful spread of disinformation. Fake news during political events has resulted in dire consequences in recent years. These incidents can lead to a loss of trust, a critical element for any organisation or body. Data breaches of any kind can result in years’ worth of trust built up over time completely diminished.
Top Tip: Do not consider cyber security as an ‘afterthought’
Unfortunately, there are too many today who adopt a reactive approach to cyber security. For those who take measures in the aftermath of a cyber-attack, it is already too late. The issue at hand may be solved but there are deeper implications that can come into play. Retrofitting your security tools and policies is not the answer; cyber-criminal activity must be a consideration from the start.
Security by design
Our cyber security professionals are huge advocates for pragmatism. CRIBB adopts a strategic approach that incorporates risk at the beginning of all projects and at every stage thereafter. Data integrity is key, and as such we pay particular attention to this in everything we do.
The security by design approach entails maintaining a deep understanding of the task at hand. You must also be aware of the security implications involved plus the relevant security protocols and regulations. You must keep all potential threats to be expected in mind and incorporate these into all plans. The plans must incorporate a series of thorough checks, with those responsible for scanning for threats clearly identified.
The key is to be proactive at every step. Adopting a security by design approach from the start ensures confidence both internally and externally. For the best results, you should seek out professional advice.
Security by design in action
As part of theICEway ecosystem, we have worked with clients in cruise, travel and healthcare for many years. We ensure that all products and services from theICEway keep robust data governance and data protection protocols at their core.
Over the past few years, we have worked with the teams at ICE and eTestware to help with this. Our most recent collaboration has resulted in the creation of a new solution for the cruise industry – tzChromar. For ships crossing time zones, it provides a hitherto unseen level of automation to assist in device time change management. This will relieve a huge strain on cruise operations teams whilst also maximising the overall guest and crew experience.
Did you know that there are over 77,000 time zone changes at sea? Plus up to 2,000 devices per ship? We see many cruise lines adopting manual processes for this. This inevitably leads to errors being made. This can lead to broken SSL connections and transactional issues, affecting the customer experience, operational workload and ultimately revenue. Our solution will therefore solve a huge number of problems…
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