Latest headlines: Paul Konikowski on the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, Mark Coxon with the very simple truth about sales and more
July 28, 2021 | Volume: 19 | Issue: 28
I’ve always imagined that giant corporations would have the craziest security measures ever. However, if Paul Konikowski’s #SecuringAV series has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes corporations have the complete opposite.
Does anyone remember the Colonial Pipeline hack/cyberattack from May? I know I do — after the ransomware locked up the business portion of the pipeline, Colonial shut down the pipeline for safety. But what happened then? People ran to get gas as if their lives depended on it. Therefore, North Carolinians had trouble filling up their tanks for over a week. What does this have to do with all of you? Cybersecurity plays a huge role here; understanding how important it is to beef up security measures can save you, your company and your job in the future. Read Paul’s latest article for more.
On May 7, 2021, the DarkSide ransomware locked up the “business end” of the pipeline, shutting down office computers, file servers and phone systems. According to statements put out by Colonial, the attack did not directly impact the pipeline operations, but the company decided to shut down the pipeline. Colonial likely did this for two reasons: One, as a precaution, to make sure the ransomware didn’t spread any further; two, without the business office computer system, they could not bill customers for the oil flowing through the pipeline.
I am actively engaged in the online AV community on Twitter. This weekend, a chat called #AVintheAM challenged integrators to discuss and explore how sports broadcasting as a vertical could yield some fruit on the local and K-12 level. There were a lot of ideas on the viability and profitability of systems and projects in this vertical. As most often happens, these topics entered the conversation as potential hurdles: direct-to-end user sales, consumer gear and in-house or do-it-yourself (DIY) integration. I always find these topics fascinating because I feel like they cause more friction than necessary.
You know, I don’t normally write about sales-related topics. But I always liked this story my dad told me when I first started out in AV/IT/Automation over 20 years ago. It’s one of the many awesome #DadAdvice tidbits I got over the years as a second-generation entrepreneur. Though he was a pinstriper and signwriter and I am a creative technologist, a lot of things cross over — like this story.