Forget about boiling oil

Let’s talk about mediaeval security. After all, it’s more interesting than cyber-security. We think of the middle ages in terms of castles and sieges, and that siege mentality has informed our view of safety ever since. We want a moat, tall and thick walls and, best of all, a heavy iron-reinforced oaken gate we can … Continue reading Forget about boiling oil →

Doing IT right costs money

Well I would say that, wouldn’t I? It’s how I make my living (sorry, couldn’t face doing the it/IT pun twice in three sentences). It’s true, though. Consider your line of business application. Probably cost a good deal to put in; probably has at least some hardware and software resilience – being mission-critical and all. … Continue reading Doing IT right costs money →

BYOD – bring your obsolete device

“Fit and forget” – the siren call of the IT widget seller. Buy our thing, plug it in and it “just works”. For everyone else working in or with tech, this is fabulously attractive. One less thing to worry about. Trouble is, it’s not just the users who forget about the device. It’s the manufacturers, … Continue reading BYOD – bring your obsolete device →

In or out – the tech perspective

Bremain or Brexit? This isn’t a political blog, but it’s worth reminding ourselves of June 23rd’s implications for IT & cyber-security. Privacy and personal data Even if we leave the EU, we’ll still have to implement the General Data Protection Regulation, only to have to re-invent it later. If we want to trade with the … Continue reading In or out – the tech perspective →

Stifling innovation or protecting privacy?

Just a snippet: Experian, the consumer credit rating agency, is touting itself as the next big thing in targeted marketing. Combine your credit history with some recent transaction data and the claim is they’ll be able to predict your future shopping activity. All sounds a bit Big Brother? Sure, and if you’re in advertising or … Continue reading Stifling innovation or protecting privacy? →

It’s here and there’s no stopping it

More European data protection stuff, I’m afraid. If you’re new to this, you can read my previous posts on the forthcoming Europe-wide General Data Protection Regulation: GDPR – the headlines GDPR – no easy get-out on consent GDPR – (para 3) – early warning on staff consent So, anyway, here I am reading the European … Continue reading It’s here and there’s no stopping it →

When you hack others without knowing it

It’s not always about you. Sometimes hackers attack your network just to use it to attack other people. They’re not after your data or your money, and they’ll do everything they can to avoid you noticing so they can carry on using your resources. This used to be about botnets – when hackers use malware … Continue reading When you hack others without knowing it →