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Over the last few months, our headlines have been full of government updates, case statistics, economic indicators and, perhaps even more important, stories of individuals who are working on the frontlines to help keep the rest of us safe. As I write this note, we are seeing measured changes taking place across Canada and the US, maybe even a growing sense of cautious optimism.

In a recent webinar, I discussed the premise that many strategies are focused on long-term objectives and built to endure the unknowns between where the organization is today and where it desires to be tomorrow. These resilient strategies and their enabling transformations certainly met their match with the  disruptions caused by COVID-19, and the subsequent rapid re-shaping of industries and markets. 

(Dedicated to all working parents out there, you are doing a great job)

After my first week of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, I came to realize a harsh truth about zombies… they are real and I was becoming one!

As a single mom of 3 adorable little monsters kids (who I still love) - a 9-year old daughter who doesn’t stop talking for more than a second (usually to swallow food), and two highly energetic sons, 7 and 3, who seem to be on a mission to break something, including their own limbs, all with an attention span of a fruit fly - I wasn’t able to do any work during the day.

Our partners at Salesforce have put together timely and thoughtful 'care packages' for existing Salesforce clients and also others who may be interested in learning more about their various services.

These are packages that help enable businesses to quickly "scale up" and consider some of the Salesforce tools that are being made available at no cost for 90 days, to help them deal with these challenging times while exploring the vast toolkit that Salesforce can provide. 

The worldwide effects of COVID-19 have been unprecedented. In a short timeframe, life as we know it has been changed. Things that we took for granted are now a ‘distanced privilege’. Despite the challenges, many positives have emerged. We can certainly applaud all of the ways we have adapted in these challenging times, proving that human beings have abilities to be much more “agile” than we might otherwise acknowledge. 

I was explaining the cybersecurity angle of Network Segmentation to a colleague the other day, when I was struck by a parallel between the goals of Network Segmentation to what we are experiencing today with social distancing.

Many healthcare organizations find themselves working through the challenges of a new delivery process for healthcare, in the face of today's changed realities. As these providers explore remote delivery options, they are having to answer many questions about how to operate securely, while staying compliant with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.  

Over the last few weeks, our team of Qualified Security Assessor's (QSAs) has been responding to questions from our clients about how they can maintain PCI compliance while transitioning their contact centers (and associated business processes) to “work from home.” It's not just an important topic, but a very valid one given that most organizations today have never dealt with these kind of business challenges before; they truly are unprecedented. In many cases, just keeping the business operating is paramount and we recognize how many variables are at play today.

Recent events have changed the world we typically wake up to, and it is continuing to change. The ways we interact, the ways we seek necessities, and the ways we conduct business, have all shifted in a very short period of time. 

For some retailers, business is continuing as consumers shift their shopping habits online. What doesn't seem likely to change however, is the responsibility that retailers have to protect the consumers' personal information.

As much of the world shifts gears into "self-quarantine" mode to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, more and more people are looking at how they can work remotely.  Approximately 3-4% of the workforce already works virtually, for the rest this will come as a new experience.