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A massive data leak last Wednesday made sure that digital companies were awake. The streaming service for gaming and entertaining, known as Twitch, was the victim in an attack on their internal systems. Sensitive information about loans has been leaked and not only that, but also very important code for the core services of Twitch has been published. Sources confirm that at least 100GB of data has been leaked (BBC News, 2021). This is an enormous leak which could be very harmful for the streaming service. It must have felt like more than just a little twitch.

This incident shows the world again how important it is to invest in data security. As more and more companies become data driven and almost every organization uses more software every year, the importance of data security will only increase. Specific code is more than just a tool to run certain services, in this age of digitalization it is most of the time a competitive advantage. That makes it a target for competitors who feel no moral obligation to play it ‘fair’. For the industry in which Twitch operates, the leak of their code could lead to a much lower entry bargain for other companies to start a streaming service as well, since they can just copy parts of the code that has been developed by Twitch employees. 

In the same way as patents can be crucial for the survival of a firm that sells physical products, so is the security of the code and the data of digital firms. Investing in data security can hardly be overestimated. Organizations should focus as much on this as on developing their core product or service itself. The growing demand for reliable data security systems also brings new opportunities. Companies that offer products and services that help defend against digital attacks, could see their output growing in the upcoming years. 

Referencing

Twitch confirms massive data breach. (2021). BBC News. [online] 6 Oct. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58817658 [Accessed 8 Oct. 2021].  

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Some people are better at it than others, but it is widely known that the human being is able to feel a connection with inanimate objects. This ranges from being attached to your favorite sofa to feeling a deep love for your coffee machine. Nowadays it is getting easier to connect with non-living objects because of a technology that is still emerging. The Internet of Things (IoT) makes it easier to get into contact with objects and systems, but most of all it is enhancing the interaction between the inanimate objects . 

In 2021, the expectation is that in total a number of 35.82 billion IoT devices will be installed and the prediction is that it will keep growing in the upcoming years (findstack, 2020). IoT causes a lot of positive changes in the way we live at our homes, but also in factories and at the office. Right now, we can see that production processes are becoming more efficient everyday and that our homes are already quite smart. What the future will look like with the development of IoT can only be speculated about. Especially in the office it might cause radical changes in the way we work together. If the connected devices will be communicating with each other, communicating and sharing information with colleagues could happen less often manually. 

Despite the fact that IoT has many advantages, the technology still keeps raising questions about ethical issues. The amount of data that will be gathered about you is enormous. All the different devices are keeping track of our behaviour and trying to perform better. Privacy is an issue, sure, but we say that and at the same time we don’t really undertake any action to secure our privacy. Perhaps it is true that we find our privacy not that important after all? In that case it might be better to just give IoT all the space that it needs, so it can be developed properly. Then we can embrace the possibility to really give our chair the appreciation that it deserves.

References

findstack.com. (2020). 21+ Internet of Things Statistics, Facts & Trends for 2021. [online] Available at: https://findstack.com/internet-of-things-statistics/. 

‌Softwaretestinghelp.com. (2019). 18 Most Popular IoT Devices in 2019 (Only Noteworthy IoT Products). [online] Available at: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/iot-devices/. 

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