So far, we seem to be surviving COVID-19, but what about online viruses? With most of our organizations now being distributed, there are other viruses we need to consider in order to protect our data and our organization’s intellectual property. We will not delve into that list of viruses here, but rather focus on that ounce of prevention that is well worth a pound of cure. We have already discussed the risks of a distributed organization and the nefarious work…
We have all been affected by the economic shutdown in ways we could never have imagined. If you predicted during the 2019 holiday season that we would have a total economic meltdown in 2020, I would have laughed out loud at you and scoffed at the notion. What is apparent now is that retailers are taking the brunt of it in many unexpected ways. Consumer spending is 70% of US domestic spending. We are in quite a hole and need…
On June 8th one of the most storied digital-first insurers, Lemonade, announced its IPO with an estimated $2B valuation. Although a niche insurer, Lemonade is unique in that it has little if any IT legacy baggage to slow its speed to market or diminish the customer experience, and it is using predictive analytics and personalization to handle insurance processes. Disruptors, like Lemonade, are here to stay. Every day we see more challenges to the traditional insurance value chain from…
In a recent conversation with a Fortune 500 IT group, we were very surprised to hear about the risks and issues they were having with their offshore service provider. Apparently, when offices were closed by COVID-19, and employees were dispersed to work at home they were negatively affected by the infrastructure issues of their country of choice. It never occurred to me this would be an issue. To those of us used to offshore tech talent, we are used to…
I started this series after I came across a Gartner article discussing the role of the CIO, and how many of them struggle with communicating with the business, that gave me pause. Reflecting on my performance over the past 20 years of IT leadership, I considered the successes and failures and found four common themes that have served me well. I have a deep love of history. I have drawn many lessons in strategy, leadership, and communication from the continual…
I remember a few years ago when our biggest cybersecurity concern was if our firewall was robust enough to protect our systems. When we were all clustered together in an office, this was the issue. We were able to assess threats, install a robust firewall and watch our data and traffic in real time for threats. Yes, it sounds like a medieval city where you build a robust wall around your castle and everyone inside is safe. Those are not…
On a warm day in June 1963, President John F. Kennedy addressed a large crowd at the Assembly Hall at the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. It was the height of the Cold War and just a few months before that fateful day in November. President Kennedy spoke to the audience about the importance of the NATO alliance and perhaps more importantly, the change that had come upon the world. During this speech, he put words to the immutable law of change…
The COVID-19 pandemic has supercharged the work-at-home model, thrusting many companies into a suddenly distributed work force without the proper preparations, leaving their valuable IP at risk. Are you taking the proper steps to protect your IP? Think for a moment about information vital to your business and maintaining your competitive edge, namely your employees, customer lists, R&D, new products, new systems, good financial news, and bad news. What would happen to your company’s future success or your brand if…
What if this COVID-19 pandemic is just a trial run? By now, most organizations are working on more stable plans and readiness for remote work and some are shifting to remote work as a new normal. When JPMorgan Chase states publicly they are asking most of their employees to work from home, then this may be the trend for lots of more businesses. You have recovered from the knee-jerk reaction to having your employees work remote. You are making an…
You have just had your first taste of a distributed work force. How did that work out for you? In most organizations the realization that “Yes, we can work remotely” will trigger a sea change in how we function going forward. In our quick reaction to being removed from the office and sheltered at home did we implement the right distributed work strategy for the long term? Chances are likely not. We now have the chance to evaluate our implementation…