Yonas Tibebu

Business impact analysis (BIA) is a systematic process for determining and evaluating the potential effects of an interruption to critical business operations as a result of a disaster, accident or emergency. A BIA is an essential component of an organization's business continuance plan . It includes an exploratory component to reveal vulnerabilities as well as a planning component to develop strategies for minimizing risk. The end result is a business impact analysis report, which describes the potential risks specific to the organization studied. One of the basic assumptions behind conducting a BIA is that while every component of an organization is reliant upon the continued functioning of every other component, some components are more crucial than others and require a greater allocation of funds in the wake of a disaster. For example, a business may be able to continue more or less normally if the cafeteria had to close, but would stumble if the information syst...

Deep fake (also spelled deepfake) is a type of artificial intelligence used to create convincing image, audio and video hoaxes. The term, which describes both the technology and the resulting bogus content, is a portmanteau of deep learning and fake. Deep fake content is created by using two competing AI algorithms -- one is called the generator and the other is called the discriminator. The generator, which creates the phoney multimedia content, asks the discriminator to determine whether the content is real or artificial. Together, the generator and discriminator form something called a generative adversarial network (GAN). Each time the discriminator accurately identifies a content as being fabricated; it provides the generator with valuable information about how to improve the next deep fake. The first step in establishing a GAN is to identify the desired output and create a training dataset for the generator. Once the generator begins creating an acceptable level ...

The Great Firewall of China is a national effort to protect Chinese corporate and state secrets and infrastructure from cyberattacks. The initiative is overseen by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and officially, the project is known as the Golden Shield. The firewall is controversial because of fears that the Chinese government is using cybersecurity as justification for controlling what information the country's citizens can access. Sites blocked by the Great Firewall include Facebook, Twitter, the New York Times and Google and its services, including Youtube. Web sites blocked by the Great Firewall generally appear as though they are experiencing technical issues, rather than providing the end user with any indication that the site has been blocked. Browsers typically return error codes that say a page is not found (404 error), the connection needs to be reset or the page has timed out. The Great Firewall blocks and redirects internet traffic by a nu...

Juice jacking is a form of hacking that compromises a device's USB charging port or charging cable, allowing hackers to break into a device without the owner's knowledge. Hackers can upload malware onto the device or extricate data from a connected device. How does juice jacking work? Juice jacking occurs via a device's charging port or cable. The vulnerability lies in the amount and various ways the charging port and cable are used. A USB port can transfer data, as well as charge a device. While a USB connector has five pins, only one is necessary for charging a connected device and two of the remaining five are used for transferring data. When connected to a computer's USB port via a cord for charging, the user also has the option to move files between the device and computer. This is when malware can be uploaded to a phone or data can be accessed. A juice-jacking attack may copy sensitive data from the device, including passwords, files, c...

Digital transformation involves the incorporation of current technologies into the products, processes and strategies of an organization in order to better compete in a digital economy. As such, digital transformation requires an examination and reinvention of most, if not all, areas within an organization, from its supply chain and workflow, to its employee skill sets and org chart, to its customer interactions and its value to stakeholders. Digital transformation helps an organization to keep pace with emerging customer demands now and, if sustained, in the future. Digital transformation enables an organization to better compete in an economic landscape that's constantly changing as technology evolves. To that end, a digital transformation strategy is necessary for any business, non-profit or institution that seeks to survive into the future. Importance of digital transformation Successful organizations need to adapt to meet changing market forces or face extincti...

Reverse mentoring is a management practice in which a senior employee seeks to gain business insights from a less experienced, often younger employee. As the name implies, reverse mentoring flip-flops the typical mentoring relationship in which a more experienced person guides a less experienced person. The goal of reverse mentoring is to take advantage of the fresh perspective a newcomer offers. An often-cited reason for introducing the concept of reverse mentoring to an organization is to leverage the shopping habits and technical know-how of younger workers. Reverse mentoring as a corporate practice is a popular alternative to hiring mentors through a third-party mentoring service. The concept is often associated with former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch. During a business trip to London in 1999, Welch learned that his global consumer finance CEO was learning about the potential power of the internet from a younger employee. When Welch returned from his trip, he for...