In my reflections on the first topic, I’ve considered that every business that deals with valuable goods or technology has hazards. By way of a few apparent examples, the majority of healthcare organizations manage exceedingly sensitive data, both in terms of creation and treatment. In terms of treatment, if businesses that retain patient data have that data exposed, there could be physical repercussions because the people’ safety is now in jeopardy due to the possibility of blackmail from hostile attackers. In a less extreme scenario, when it comes to manufacturing, if data is leaked, insurance companies may be able to increase premiums. Similarly leak of financial data or identity of people who are persecuted due to their politics or sexual orientation (think social media data) can also cause a lot of harms.
Businesses that offer goods made using potentially dangerous techniques run the risk of endangering the public. Secret recipes (like those for KFC), private information, and credentials to manage the system that could present risks are among things that need to be on the lookout for leaks. A problem with the processes could endanger public safety because many materials utilized improperly in chemical-related businesses pose health risks.
“Who invited her?”
The company would have missed out on an alternative course of action, which would have been to directly minimize risks by reducing overall exposure to hacks, had Sara chosen to remain silent. Instead, Chad the CEO would have likely followed the chief information security officer’s recommendation to increase spending for intrusion-monitoring systems, which in my opinion is equivalent to badly done damage control. Additionally, Sara would not have had the chance to win the CEO’s esteem and make a suggestion that could have saved the company.
Sara’s decision to speak up in the tense boardroom, where she was surrounded by men who were superior to her and evidently did not take her seriously, required a lot of bravery, especially considering that she addressed the chief information security officer—who is supposed to be the most knowledgeable—directly. It’s important to understand that it won’t always feel natural to speak out when it matters, according to the article “How to Speak Up When It Matters.” Sara must have felt the pressure, yet she still made the decision to speak up because she was confident in the worth of her contribution. It’s likely that her speaking up in a way that was apparent she wasn’t attempting to disagree but rather make a suggestion that would be helpful lowered the social threat.
Relevance to my project:
We are working on a disability services app so we will deal with sensitive health data. It’s crucial for us to prevent data breaches by taking security standards seriously from the start. Encryption, data anonymization, respecting people’s consent, 2 Factor Authentication are some ways we can improve the robustness of our security systems.
Furthermore, Sara’s courage should be an example to the management to do the right thing in tense business environments. Courage requires culture.
