“Every company needs to understand that they are a potential counterintelligence target. (The) industry needs to significantly up its game in cybersecurity to make the case that voluntary approaches work.”
— Suzanne Spaulding, Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies
It’s fitting that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The days are getting shorter here in the northern hemisphere and many in the world are preparing to celebrate Halloween, el Día De Los Muertos, and All Saints’ Day. And, we are entering our second pandemic fall. Literally and figuratively, darkness seems to be falling upon us. The realm in which I dwell most days, that of security operations, is often perceived as dark and quiet, perhaps even spooky. Luckily, those of us who work in this field don’t have to dress up in costume.
In security operations, we rarely make grand announcements if and until there’s a crisis. A good day is when all systems are secure and operational. I’m pleased to say that we’ve had many good days here and Airside is well positioned for the future.
So, you can understand why I’m thrilled to announce that Airside has achieved SOC 2 Type II reporting. We spent a large amount of time and resources to invest in the process. We connected the many dots and answered every part of the extensive exam, which now serves as proof of Airside’s cross-functional, cross-industry value in securing digital identity and our ongoing commitment to securing this sensitive data with the highest level of protection and control.
To begin, I would like to recognize the small, dedicated staff at Airside in accomplishing this feat, which is usually achieved by much larger technology providers. We work tirelessly to keep our Airside Digital Identity Network secure, knowing that ironclad information security requires cooperation at all levels. Everyone at Airside is deeply committed to this ongoing regimen for continued compliance efforts.
Secondly, I would like to recognize our peers in the industry who make their own voluntary cybersecurity efforts, such as achieving SOC 2 Type II reporting. Again, you may not hear their good news as loudly as the many waves of crises related to hacking, theft, fraud and ransomware attacks.
We’ve been blogging about those attacks as well. My colleague Tricia Loveland referenced the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and the legitimate need and demand for technologies that provide people with more control and security; and Peter Davis cited the SITA attacks and the importance of decentralized architecture. Most recently, Facebook’s outages have become part of our everyday conversations, and the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Agency (CISA), along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) released guidance about BlackMatter Ransomware targeting our food and agriculture.
It’s clear that world leaders and the general public are no longer clueless on the subject of cybersecurity. It touches all of our lives. No company is too big and no individual is too small to be targeted. There is no one single entity that ensures our technological security.
Rather than reinforcing a debilitating sense of fear, uncertainty and doubt (#FUD), I’d ask that you regard security operations as a team sport. We are all agents of change in protecting this critical infrastructure. Together, with mitigation tactics and voluntary approaches to audit our own systems, we can improve our protection and response and prove resilience. Together, we provide trust assurance and confidence to use technology for good.
Read our press release about how Airside Achieved SOC 2Ⓡ Type II Reporting.
