Life is full of SO MANY amazing opportunities - but over the past couple of years the opportunity to excel at business is one that has become more challenging, more diverse and more complicated, due in large part to pandemic-related restrictions, and the technology required to reach our clients and prospective clients.

So, what does happen when a global pandemic hits and businesses everywhere dive into uncharted waters as they try to survive lockdowns and reduced in-person interaction?

My first thought is this: cybercriminals are celebrating.

Caveat: This is a gloomy thought, I know, but keep reading, it gets sunnier!

Let's explore this further...

In 2020, travel and in-person restrictions forced us to search for new ways to conduct business. Pandemic-induced requirements either reduced, removed, or redefined our income streams, resulting in new campaigns, processes, and financial plans, most of which involved adding, upgrading, expanding, or repurposing technology. However, this increased reliance on technology came with a host of additional challenges, such as:

• New online privacy requirements
• New online insurance needs
• New checklists for these online insurance needs
• New training and requirements for employees, management, contractors, and vendors
• New interactions between the new tech and the old.

And new opportunities for criminals.

In the midst of all this, waves of people began surfing the web for business, school, health, volunteer pursuits, and social time. Some of these people were tech-savvy, while others were not, and criminal opportunities were everywhere.

Fast forward to 2023, and most of us are back to business as usual, but "business as usual" has changed.

While we still rush to adapt our tech and security-train our people, the cybercriminals are still happily preying on both.

In this new normal we cannot afford to neglect either technology or security.

An increased technology presence is here to stay, and the best place to start is with the most important resource in this tech evolution: people.

By engaging with people, we create a foundation for discussion, advice, research, and planning. This is not a DIY endeavour, whether you are tech-savvy or not. Whatever the "normal" rate of change has been over the past 10, 20, or 50 years, the past 3 years have been exponentially faster.

What happens next?

Underpinning all of this change is technology, so let's look at what that means for the "big picture".

Techies are usually in the background, expected to handle anything that comes along (and there has been a lot that has come along in the past three years!) but success in this new normal will be determined by how well we break down our silos. So, whether you have a CISO, CTO, technology department, IT team, or on-call support team, now is the time to support and include them in the big picture.

Technology can be your best friend, it can accelerate your business and open up new opportunities - but if it is not well planned, executed, or secured, it can also be your worst enemy. Learning, planning, researching, implementing, and securing technology is a huge job, so make sure to engage experts to help with both the tech and the security that you must have in order to keep your data private and your business competitive.

Let's use the tech experts in our network to the best advantage possible, and in turn, we expand our own network with increased visibility and recommendations.

Final takeaway

Techies are here to help. We want you to keep your wheels turning, your client data safe, and your business reputation in tact. Let's work together, with an open mind and a reality check that says the best solutions are never created in silos: creative solutions are the result of shared input, cooperation, and participation!

Let’s also remember that informal tea-and-pizza chats (or coffee-and-doughnuts) bring everyone closer to the same page. Getting to know each other is the best and fastest way forward. Always.

Let’s keep the conversation going!

📣 Share this with your network or a friend! 

✅ Leave a comment - Send a DM! 

Let’s Keep Cyber Criminals Unemployed!

⭐️ Stay safe! ⭐️

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.