FEATURE : DATA SECURITY
Avoid the ‘ techlash ’ by properly protecting data
With the elevation of IT acquiring the importance of a utility , Dave Russell , Vice President of Enterprise Strategy , Veeam , discusses the ‘ techlash ’ aimed at companies that fail to protect data . He asks : “ Should personal data held by organizations be subject to a universal cybersecurity standard to ensure all citizens ’ data is protected to a satisfactory level ?”
With employees encouraged to work from home with the ongoing pandemic , IT has taken on the importance of a utility along with water , gas and electricity . Without connectivity , telecommunications and the cloud , many businesses would have ground to a halt , while consumers would have had limited means of keeping in touch , buying essential goods and staying entertained . But thanks to IT , businesses such as supermarkets , broadcasters and financial services have continued to thrive .
Online shopping has become the norm , particularly for essential goods with online traffic growing by over a third globally in the supermarket sector . Subscriptions to on-demand streaming platforms are through the roof – with Netflix adding 26 million subscribers to its platform by the end of June last year . Social media , video communication and instant messaging platforms have extended their user bases .
The outstanding beneficiary here has been Zoom – posting a 335 % increase in revenues compared to 2019 . Everything from the way we receive medical advice , check our bank balance and exercise are driven by a digital-first approach .
So , what is the impact of IT going from being in the background to being a core part of the backbone ? For the technology industry , the impact is profound . There has been a collective and widespread epiphany of IT ’ s value to both the economy and society . While this is
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