Bill Gates started Microsoft with a dream to provide software and computer on every desk. It’s been more than 40 years since they started, and there’s been no looking back since then. Computers drive the modern world, and not so surprisingly, it gets even more entrenched as you read this story. The synergy between Computer and Internet has worked magically in helping us realize our dreams. In tough times like these, when most of us are bound to stay indoors, technology helps us fill our pockets. The world is experiencing a significant shift from office to remote working culture. A company’s awareness about Cyber security and COVID-19 can help them develop a better working environment, which eventually will drive their business.
“We had dreams about the impact software could have. We talked about a computer on every desk and in every home. It’s been amazing to see so much of that dream become a reality and touch so many lives.” – Bill Gates
Cyber security puts all measures to defend an organization against cyber-attack, unauthorized access, and data loss. It eliminates and addresses new risks before they affect an organization. It’s like the Night’s watch from GOT.
Cyber security protects an organization or an individual from malware attacks and phishing. It helps build trust between an online platform and a user. The pandemic has revealed how little we know about agility in our organizations. It is now during a crisis that we’ve realized about the inefficiencies in our critical services and assets.
The pandemic has forced companies to adopt new and improved business models that target optimized asset management. The employee identity governance systems used by corporates all around the world are showing lag and crack. Efforts to mitigate data breach are a strong example of well-balanced Cybersecurity and COVID-19 equation.
One of the biggest concerns for companies worldwide is the security waivers granted in rapid response to COVID-19. The urgency of the situation and the increasing number of cases led to a haphazard adoption of remote work for many companies. A KPMG report claims that ârisk assessment in terms of Cyber security and COVID-19 turned out to be inefficient for many companies. Existing corporate papers and policies expires challenging market conditions in the present day, leading to risk and security flawsâ.
Leading IT and networking company Cisco is helping companies develop a secure remote working strategy. They have extended free licenses, and expanded usage counts at no extra charges for three of their proprietary security technologies. Their AnyConnect VPN is particularly sought after for enabling remote connectivity.
“We saw significant requests to build out infrastructure and get access to VPN capacity to enable access at scale globally,” –John Maynard, Vice-President, Global Security Sales, Cisco.
A report by Knowbe4 says that âcybercrimes have increased by 667% in the last 3 months. One of the major problems faced by individuals online is phishing and cyber scams. Cyber security and COVID-19 has led to an increase in the number of spam mails being sent online, mainly targeting individuals and asking them for COVID-19 fundsâ.
IBM’s 90 days no charge policy brought to keep up with an individual’s financial stress is a great relief. Their Watson Works technology is tracing potential exposure to COVID-19 cases. Watson Works is helping companies return to the workplace with confidence.
“Watson Works provides essential insights to support a critical decision on workplace re-entry, contact tracing, and customer and employee care.” –Kareem Yusuf, GM, AI applications, IBM
Joshua Saxe, Sophos’ chief scientist, says that they have enabled a slack channel for open collaboration on taking pandemic themed cyber threats. A report by Sophos shows that 700 COVID-19 related domains are being registered per week in the US itself. Most of them also turn out to be pro-phishing and scamming websites.
As we move towards a much more digitized world, the importance and traction deserved by cyber security also surge. Frontline companies like Fortinet, IBM, and Cisco are helping deliver solutions to balance the Cyber security and COVID-19 equation, and as conscious and aware citizens, the onus lies on us too. Itâs high time we keep an eye out one these scams.
