According to Microsoft president Brad Smith, the global problem of cybersecurity requires a multi-faceted approach, with software giants taking a greater part, as well as getting together a larger pool of technology experts, and introducing best practices. Latest events, such as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica debacle, were “tipping points” that influenced how people think about technology more deeply today, according to the CEO. “It (cybersecurity) is an extremely critical concern. The latest rash of cybersecurity threats, I believe, has highlighted this even more explicitly.
“I believe the answer must be multi-faceted…(as a tech company), we must ask ourselves how we can improve our processes, how we can make our apps and services more stable, and what more can we do to support consumers all over the world,” he said during the Raisina Dialogue. Running solutions across the cloud is more reliable than running them through on-premise servers since it’s easier to keep an eye on data and threats, and updates can be performed, he said.
“In the workforce, there is a worldwide shortage of cybersecurity experts. I believe that a global effort would be required to help accelerate the kind of preparation that would be required to bring more cybersecurity professionals in place… I believe that this would be a significant goal for policymakers all over the world to follow as well, ” Smith said his opinion.
According to the executive, implementing cybersecurity best practices, such as on-premise server patching, multi-factor authentication, and protection measures tied down devices that people use for work, is also essential. Smith, who co-authored ‘Tools and Weapons: The Promise and Peril of the Modern Age’ with Carol Ann Browne, believes that digital technologies would need some oversight. “I believe there was a similar turning point in the world of privacy. This happened in 2018 with Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, so it quickly spread across the world. And that was a watershed moment, after the Snowden revelations five years prior ” he added.
The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica privacy controversy involves the British research firm Cambridge Analytica, collecting the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their permission, including those in the United States and India (which are among the social media company’s largest markets). People are asking about the responsibilities that tech giants operating social media sites may have about the removal of illegal posts, according to Smith. Smith went on to say that a new paradigm will most likely emerge, requiring tech firms to be more accountable to disclose the standards they embrace and follow regularly, giving those who are affected a right to appeal and possibly a legal investigation of whether they are adhering to the principles. He also said that one of the most important geopolitical trends of this decade is the “changing relationship” between China and the United States, as well as China and some other countries, which is having an effect on the technology industry.
“Many firms are pulling parts, if not all, of their hardware production out of China and into other countries, which is having an effect on hardware supply chains. Even though it isn’t really debated openly as well as it could be, that is been going on for the last, I’d guess, 18 months “he mentioned. Hardware production capability is moving to Vietnam, South Korea, and other areas of South Asia, according to Smith. “From a longer-term viewpoint, this opens up new possibilities for countries like India and others to become more of a hardware manufacturing hub,” he said.
