Swarm intelligence, Tiktok ban and all things Cyber Security
Kia ora koutou ITP members and supporters. The last few weeks I have been focusing on how we prepare ourselves for the future of work, the skills and capabilities we will need and what needs to change in the system. Interestingly this week I posted on LinkedIN about how excited I am to be donating blood after the ban on those of us who might have “mad cow” disease has been lifted. That post yielded more engagement, comments, likes and feedback than any of my nationally significant posts in recent weeks - what should I make of that do you think?
Today’s pānui is centred on all things Cyber Security. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Kendra on Wednesday evening, she was so open in sharing her experiences and insights. Thanks to everyone who joined and the fantastic questions posed, if you couldn’t join us do please watch / listen to this Fireside Chat, here are just a few of the topics we discussed:
- The role Microsoft plays, how reliant we are on them, vulnerabilities they expose businesses through
- The need to seriously upskill boards and their understanding of cyber threats to their businesses
- The Cyber workforce, burnout, churn and the desperate need to upskill
- Closing the gap on language - something we struggle with as an industry generally
- The importance of networking and finding your voice on LinkedIN as an advocate
And that list barely scratches the surface of the topics we discussed.
Should We Be Worried? The State of Cybersecurity in New Zealand
This all prompted me to write a blog on the state of cyber security in Aotearoa New Zealand, the need for significantly increased government investment, the need for government, private sector and citizens to collaborate on a strategy we can all swing behind. Plus I ask you whether you are keen to step up for this challenge too?
Did you know the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report has Mis and Dis Informaiton as #2 (after extreme weather) and Cyber attacks at #5 (after the global cost of living crisis)?
My interest was also peaked by the World Economic Forum project to disrupt Cyber Crime, can it possibly work? A public private project designed to map out relationships between criminal groups, their infrastructure, supply chains and other dependancies in order to try and break up the system.
Blogs this week
Coincidentally Peter also wrote about Cyber this week - 20% of NZ cybersecurity incidents relate to cloud platforms - he reported on Kordia’s latest report on major causes of cyber compromises which found “cloud misconfigurations and vulnerabilities pose a considerable threat to businesses migrating to the cloud.” They also found that “70% of business leaders say they would consider paying a ransom to a cybercriminal” and “Around 46% of cyber incidents and attacks took longer than one month to resolve”
Peter’s editorial and Brendan’s cartoon this week are on the breaking news that the US House of Representatives' move this week to pass legislation that would force ByteDance to divest ownership of TikTok or face a ban. What are they worried about? “we are united in our concern about the national security threat posed by TikTok — a platform with enormous power to influence and divide Americans whose parent company ByteDance remains legally required to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party”.
Back to Cyber security our guest blog this week - Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption protects you - is a great explainer on how end-to-end encryption works and protects us in our digital activities.
Events
- Fireside Chat webinar - reminder I am talking to Paula Browning from We Create on the growing convergence between creative and digital technologies. We will talk about our education system, why STEAM matters, the impacts of AI and complexities of our industries. Should be fascinating. All welcome. You can register here.
- Flint event - are you in Wellington and someone who is in the first 5 years of your career? FLINT are holding a networking event this Thursday March 21st, at 5:15pm with Jonathan Waecker Chief Customer and Sales Officer for The Warehouse speaking. FLINT Wellington regularly hosts events to inspire young professionals who aspire to lean into their potential. We love to connect and empower those who strive to be the Leaders in New Zealand's digital future. You can register here.
- Reminder Auckland’s ITP Members have a networking event scheduled for this Thursday 21st at GridAKL, designed for members and students to interact, great speakers, food and an opportunity to connect with others in the industry. You can register here.
Member only events coming up
- Wellington members can join me for coffee and donuts on Thursday 21st at 10am for Third Thursday. Held in my sunny office we discuss whatever is top of mind and topical. Register here.
- Lunch and Learn exclusive to ITP members! Free lunchtime webinars by tech experts. Learn new skills, get insights, boost your career. Our first topic pf 2024 is Navigating the job market today. CV’s, interviews, hot skills and how to present your best self in a challenging market. I will be joined by the fabulous Chloe Sabbadin of XO Recruitment who will share insights, tips and tricks. Register here.
Digital Technology in the news
Tech Talk - Swarm Intelligence
Swarm intelligence is the collective behaviour of decentralised, self organised systems (both natural and artificial). It’s a fascinating concept that explores how complex collective behaviors emerge from the interactions of many relatively simple individual entities. he key to swarm intelligence lies in the simple rules followed by each individual. They might react to local information (like the movement of their neighbors) based on basic instincts or pre-programmed behaviors. However, the combined effect of these individual actions gives rise to complex and adaptive group behavior.
The key characteristics of Swarm intelligence are decentralisation, self-organisation and robustness. The applications in technology are robotics, optimisation of problems in areas like logistics, and artificial intelligence.
Some other reading
Finally
I miss bringing you Te Reo Digital Technology terms so wanted to recap a few of my favourites:
- Blog = rangitaki
- Data = raraunga
- Email = īmēra
- Password = kupuhipa
- Viral = horapa
Hope you can find a way to use a few of these next week. Have a fabulous weekend everyone. Noho ora mai, Vic
