On-Point Links: May 29

 In On-Point Links

This week’s top tech and marketing articles.

The Two Sides of the Data Security Question

Cyber security is rising to the top as one of the most urgent issues for companies to address. Data breaches cost millions of dollars to both businesses and consumers, and damage a brand’s credibility. At the same time, agencies charged with national security are grappling with how to collect and analyze data in a manner that enables them to conduct investigations while preserving privacy statutes.

Forbes:  Stopping Data Breaches: Whose Job is it Anyway?

“While the CISO plays a leadership role in discovery, mitigation and analysis of a data breach and is in charge of management and monitoring across all business lines, other teams and their respective leaders should be involved in a variety of roles in different stages of a response to a data breach. These include the CIO and CTO providing technical support and the Chief Compliance Officer, the communications team, and line of business executives taking a lead role in the disclosure stage and in enabling customers.”

“The last stage of the response to a data breach—empowering customers—is also the first step towards preventing more data breaches in the future. Collaborating with your customers, like collaborating internally, is crucial for minimizing the impact of a data breach and lessening the probability of being hacked again.”

TechCrunch:  U.K. Government Confirms Push for More Comms Data Capture Powers

“The Bill will be aimed at addressing what the government terms ‘capability gaps’ in law enforcement and intelligence agencies’ abilities to combat terrorism and serious crime.

The key aims are stated as:

Better equipping law enforcement and intelligence agencies to meet their key operational requirements, and addressing the gap in these agencies’ ability to build intelligence and evidence where subjects of interest, suspects and vulnerable people have communicated online.”

“At the European level especially there has been condemnation of unchecked dragnet surveillance. But even the IPT, the U.K. court that oversees domestic intelligence agencies, ruled that some past surveillance data-sharing activity was not legal.

Add to that, back in March, the U.K. parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee called for a new single act of Parliament to govern how domestic spy agencies operate — with the aim of improving transparency and public trust.”

Verizon:  Verizon 2015 Data Breach Investigations Report

“Another troubling area singled out in this year’s report is that many existing vulnerabilities remain open, primarily because security patches that have long been available were never implemented. In fact, many of the vulnerabilities are traced to 2007 — a gap of almost eight years.

As in prior reports, this year’s findings again pointed out what Verizon researchers call the “detection deficit” — the time that elapses between a breach occurring until it’s discovered. Sadly, in 60 percent of breaches, attackers are able to compromise an organization within minutes.

Yet the report points out that many cyberattacks could be prevented through a more vigilant approach to cybersecurity.”

Customer Loyalty Programs Still Key

Loyalty marketing is a proven driver of customer affinity and retention. It pays for companies to stay on top of innovative ways to reward their brand advocates.

loyalty360:  Hotels.com Launches Secret Prices and Enhanced Loyalty Program

“…Hotels.com has launched a new program called Secret Prices. The program offers participating customers a greater selection of competitive hotel deals, most of which are not available on comparison sites. Secret Prices offers thousands of specially negotiated rates and subscriber-only deals on hotels in top destinations around the world.”

“Customer loyalty is driven by creating positive emotional experiences unique to our brand. We’re always challenging ourselves to come up with new ways of letting our loyal customers know that we appreciate them. And we’re proud to say that since our loyalty program launched nearly eight years ago, Hotels.com Rewards has grown to more than 15 million members and has awarded more than three million free nights.”

Buying and Suing

This week showcases an important fight in the wearables market, and a deal that has huge implications for the future of broadband innovation.

VentureBeat:  Jawbone Sues Fitbit for Stealing its Talent and Trade Secrets

“The complaint says that during 2015, Fitbit recruiters contacted a third of Jawbone’s employees. One independent recruiter is quoted in the lawsuit as saying, ‘Fitbit’s objective is to decimate Jawbone.’ ‘This case arises out of the clandestine efforts of Fitbit to steal talent, trade secrets, and intellectual property from its chief competitor,” Jawbone’s lawyers wrote in the complaint.'”

“The lawsuit comes a crucial time in Fitbit’s history. The wearables company very recently filed for an IPO, in which it hopes to raise $100 million to expand its product line and marketing efforts.”

New York Times:  Broadband at the Center of Charter-Time Warner Cable Deal

“When Charter Communications announced a pair of deals on Tuesday to acquire Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for a total of $67.1 billion, it put the focus squarely on the cable industry’s future: broadband.”

“’It is not just the small screens or the large screens in the house, it is the mobile screens and more,’” Thomas M. Rutledge, Charter’s chief executive, said in an interview.”

“Charter’s promises underscored the features that it hopes will appeal to regulators and consumers alike: that Internet service now is the most important component of a cable package as the ultimate gateway to information and entertainment. And that Charter’s new heft — the acquisitions would approximately quadruple its customer base to about 24 million, compared with Comcast’s 27 million — will give it more resources and incentives to introduce innovation and competitive services.”

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