The IT outage at the RBS banking group in the UK is a prime example of how interconnected our digital lives have become. The outage over a number of days impacted on individuals who could not gain access to their bank accounts, on companies who were unable to pay their staff and vendors and led to many business deals collapsing. The digital woes of one organization had major impact on the lives and businesses of countless others.

So the technical advances of these “interesting times” can also be viewed upon as a curse. Our constant battle against those who cause harm, either deliberately or accidentally, to our systems, data, finances, economies and societies may seem endless. Indeed there are some who will say that at times this may be a hopeless task.

The life on an information security professional can be indeed be seen as one lived “in interesting times”. However, I argue that it is up to us to decide whether these “interesting times” will be a blessing or a curse. If we constantly look at the negative aspects of technology then it is inevitable that we will view it as a curse. If all we can see is threats and not opportunities then we will constantly be fighting a losing battle.

We need to focus on the benefits that technology can bring to our lives, both our personal and business lives. Instead of looking at how to prevent technology or access to that technology, we need to look at how to safely engage with it so that in our business and professional lives we can fully embrace the benefits that technology brings.


To make living and working “in interesting times” a blessing we as information security professionals need to engage better with those around us so we understand their needs and develop secure solutions to help them meet those needs. We need to be more proactive in how we approach people and organizations in order for them to buy into security initiatives.

I often cite the mantra that security should be viewed like brakes are on a car. The immediate reaction when you think of brakes is that they are there to stop the car. But if we look at it in a different light, without brakes on a car we could never travel fast or turn corners. So brakes are there to help the car get to its destination quickly and safely. Likewise we need to think of security as not a way to stop people or businesses from doing certain activities but to enable them to do them in a safe and secure manner.

So shall we regret living “in interesting times”? I certainly hope we don’t. Only time will tell but through this column lets work together to reap the blessings those “interesting times” bring.