Cyber and digitalization – two sides of the coin

For years I have speculated that the next battle facing governments will not be fought with boots on the ground or large aircraft carriers, but rather through economic and/or digital warfare.  This has played out with the growth of cyber attacks in both government and private arenas, most recently at HMM a couple of weeks ago.

Similar to the pandemic that has swept the world, we are dealing with an invisible enemy bent on destruction.  And similar to strategies required to address it, good hygiene is at the center of suggested protocols.  But unlike the coronavirus, this digital scourge is also associated with our desire to expand our use of digitalization.

For our industry to continue to improve we must embrace the tools offered by digitalization.  We may even find ourselves in the not-too-distant future building ships through 3-D and other digital assets.  As we become more and more dependent on these tools, we need to be vigilant about preventative measures to protect our enterprises.

Like the morphing of the COVID-19 virus into more virulent variations, so do cyber threats as they pursue their destructive paths.  Let’s mask up!