The workplace of the future will change. U.S. military leaders would call the modern digital workplace a "VUCA" world: an environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). IT managers have to cope with an increasingly complex situation, and they have to do so at an ever-increasing pace and despite ever-new security risks - but with constant staffing levels.

The central conflict: End users demand a digital workplace that is personalized and convenient to use in a consumer manner; at the same time, security officers and data protection officers insist on Security and state of the art privacy protection. Oliver Bendig, CEO of workspace and service management provider Matrix42, explains what this means for IT departments.

Workplace becomes smarter

As a result, IT managers are focusing on three aspects: intelligent automation, security at the device, app and data level, and compliance with licensing regulations and increasingly stringent rules, such as the GDPR. In the medium term, it will not help to cover these three points with more and more tools. Instead, they must be combined into a coherent overall concept. Otherwise, IT will be pulverized between these tasks. The digital workplace will soon - good news for the client management team - adapt automatically to the requirements of the end user: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly migrating into end devices and the Digital Workspace, learning the user's behavior and thus facilitating their everyday work.

This then manifests itself as follows, for example: When the user switches on the end device, it automatically recognizes him or her based on biometric characteristics - be it fingerprint, face, eyes or voice. Thanks to access to the appointment calendar and project management tool, the digital workplace knows which apps the user is likely to need. It can proactively suggest the required documents, such as the app for web conferencing: "Your team conference will start in a minute. Do you want to log in?" In the meeting, the shared folders, appointments and tools are then within direct reach.

Users will be able to take their digital workplace from device to device, called "Follow-me Workplace". This can be done automatically: As soon as the user leaves the desk, i.e. loses the Bluetooth connection between the PC and mobile devices, open files will automatically move to his tablet via WLAN. In addition, users will be able to move files between devices using gestures: With a swipe gesture, they can transfer the customer presentation to their tablet.

UEM in transition

Much of the modern work environment will be voice-controlled: "Alexa, get colleague Hans Maier from Sales into the meeting!" Even the creation of trouble tickets will shift to virtual assistants: "Siri, order new toner for the printer in the conference room!" The AI-supported workspace management system recognizes exactly which toner and printer the user is referring to by accessing the asset database and the facility management room plan, as well as using geolocation data from the smartphone.

For the IT team, this means that many tasks, from inventory and configuration management to patching, will be performed automatically in the future. Alexa, Siri and Co. will intercept a large part of the routine tickets at the help desk as "virtual first-level support". Client and workspace management will be able to - and will have to - focus more and more on the individual requirements of end users instead of devices and apps: Thanks to self-service, AI, and flexibly customizable workflows, the UEM from Unified Endpoint Management on "User Experience Management".

Security via biometrics and AI

From the end-user's perspective, this AI-powered efficiency is a top priority, but from the IT team's perspective, security and compliance are what count. The vexed topic of authentication can, as mentioned, be secured much better thanks to biometrics than through password policies, which only encourage some users to choose passphrases and post-it notes listlessly.

However, biometrics do not protect against hacking attacks by means of phishing and malware. Therefore, device and data encryption as well as automated patch management and endpoint security solutions are required to protect end devices, applications and user accounts and to prevent the leakage of internal data.

These tools include next-generation antivirus solutions as well as machine-learning-based real-time analysis of device and user behavior, and processes and tools for fast, effective handling of detected infections and intruders ("post-infection protection"). This means that workspace, service and security management must grow together as much as possible. The goal must be to create a defensible and resilient workspace environment that can quickly stabilize itself.

Licence Compliance and Data Protection

Security also means legal certainty: The IT organization must always have an up-to-date overview of licenses in use - despite the volatility in software use that modern work entails. This is where IT needs a smart license managementwhich gives early warning when the licensing is about to run into the "red zone".

Also critical from a legal point of view: the aforementioned ML-supported real-time analysis of user behavior, which US providers in particular like to propagate. Here, German data protection officers are rightly pricking up their ears. After all, such behavioral data is collected anonymously or pseudonymously, but ultimately the purpose of such solutions is always to be able to trace an attack or conspicuous behavior back to a specific client and thus end user.

For the IT organization, this is a dilemma: real-time monitoring is already technically possible, but legitimate privacy interests stand in the way. In the future, only two means will help here, namely transparency and the "privacy by design" (product-immanent privacy) demanded by the GDPR: It must always be apparent to the user what data the employer collects about his user behavior. At the same time, IT will have to hand over the scepter of data control to the user - whether via the works council or directly.

In concrete terms, this means that users can opt for a security level guaranteed by an SLA by means of a company agreement or at the click of a mouse when ordering a workspace service in the service catalog. They then have a choice: either their use of the digital workspace is tracked for security purposes and they receive the best possible service, or they choose the opt-out variant for data protection reasons. This means that certain data can only be accessed on the company PC and only on the company premises, that working in the home office is excluded, that a detour via a VPN is necessary instead of convenient apps, or that USB ports on the PC are blocked. Faced with this choice, the majority of end users are likely to opt voluntarily for the more convenient - but at the same time more secure - option.

Building new competencies

Thanks to Automation, AI, virtual assistants and self-service many routine tasks of classic endpoint and workspace management will be eliminated in the near future. In the future, the primary task of the IT organization will no longer be to keep operations running, but to further develop IT in line with corporate goals. IT leaders should therefore invest in modern workspace, service and security management as well as in AI technologies; at the same time, however, they should expand the skills of their IT teams with regard to the more demanding tasks that await them beyond automation.

www.matrix42.com/ch/

With the Digitalisation Action Plan, the ETH Board aims to strengthen the areas of computer science and informatics - as stated in a statement from the ETH. The ETH Domain will support the Swiss economy and society with specific measures to master the challenges of digitisation.

By 2019/2020, the ETH Board plans, on the one hand, to strengthen computer science and informatics in research and teaching. On the other hand, it will establish a network of technology transfer centres for digital production processes. Furthermore, the ETH Board discussed the planned increase in tuition fees. A hearing was held until the end of January. After further clarification, the final decision will be made by summer 2018.

research and teaching

Both research and teaching are to be optimised. "In this way, the ETHs are strengthening their role as the locomotive of digitisation in Switzerland, assuming their responsibility for Switzerland as a centre of knowledge and helping to meet the social and economic challenges of digitisation," reads one post in the communication.

Between 2019 and 2020, the ETH Board intends to invest a total of CHF 29 million in two measures. The first measure is an expansion of expertise in the field of computer sciences. Seven additional professorships are to be created at ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne. These are to supplement the 21 professorships that were created between 2013 and 2016 as part of reappointments.

Research and industry

The second measure is aimed at closer networking between research and industry. In this context, a national network of technology transfer centres in the field of advanced manufacturing is to be established. This includes technologies such as 3D printing, as well as the production of "materials and structures designed on the computer", it continues.

ETH Zurich intends to work closely with the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa).

www.ethrat.ch

The BMWi study on barriers to electronic encryption confirms: Only what has to be done is done. Encryption is technically possible in 72 percent of companies. 94 percent of the respondents see encryption as a principle of proper business management. However, concerns about effort and costs are putting investments on the back burner.

Poor usability or a lack of expertise hindered the use of existing solutions. The self-motivation to encrypt email communication based on the analysis of the threat situation is not sufficient in many cases. In order to make encryption the standard, a certain external motivation must be added via pressure from business partners, customers and also legal or industry-specific requirements.

An example: EDI@Energy

One successful example is the introduction of the "EDI@Energy - regulations on the transmission path" in the energy industry last year. All electronic market communication in the German energy industry is now encrypted according to the latest security standards. Responsibilities and sanctions for the possible cases of error have been defined, which means that there are no longer any unencrypted e-mails between market partners in the energy industry.

Technically, the encryption is solved via Secure Email Gateways, which work automatically in the background.

One third without encryption- deceptive security for the others

According to the BMWi study, encrypted data transmission - which also includes e-mails - is available at 72 percent of SMEs and over 91 percent of large companies. However, this does not mean that the existing encryption solutions are used across the board. However, this is of great importance. Encrypting the individual e-mail with explosive content worth protecting is only half the battle, because what happens to the remaining e-mails that reach and leave the company unprotected?

In times of cheap storage space and efficient Big Data analyses, one possible attack scenario is to intercept the entire email traffic of a company and evaluate it in a structured manner. This provides a very intimate insight into companies and their business relationships. This real security threat can only be countered with Secure Email Gateways as highly automated infrastructure solutions.

Conclusions

Single-user solutions, often free of charge, as currently used by the majority of SMEs, do not scale and actually lead to high expenses and training requirements.

The logical consequence of the study would be regulations that require the use of encryption solutions across the board using secure technologies. Legislators and industry associations would be called upon to establish firm rules. Instead, new awareness campaigns are being launched and appeals are being made to the common sense of companies, with an IT compass as a guide that only inadequately captures the current market situation.

Regardless of the BMWi study requirements will soon come into force that will force encryption in companies. Due to the IT Security Act, other critical infrastructures will soon be in focus after the energy sector. Similar requirements for secure electronic communication are expected. (Source: Zertificon)

The European General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) also places companies under obligation when processing personal data. Read more about this in the current issue of Management & Quality.

The public presentations for the "Factory Software of the Year" were presented to a renowned jury of consultants, scientists and media representatives. The award ceremony took place as part of the "Factory Software Congress 2018", organized by the Anwendungszentrum Industrie 4.0 in cooperation with the Berlin-based GITO publishing house in mid-February at the Sheraton Airport Hotel and Conference Center in Frankfurt.

Suppliers of software solutions for the factory were eligible to apply in the categories of process control, logistics software, visualization, MES, security, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and complete solutions. The application documents were to comment on various criteria on two pages each (or a maximum of twelve pages). In addition, there was a short company presentation on one page.

Prizes were awarded based on performance in the following criteria:

Concrete customer benefit: In this criterion, a customer's opinion on the concrete benefit resulting from the introduction of the system - for example, on the basis of profitability considerations - should be explained.

Platform suitability: This is about the question of whether the factory software is suitable for use on platforms and whether connection points already exist. The (planned) technical implementation should be presented here.

Interoperability / Standards: What standards are used in factory software to ensure interoperability?

Brownfield approach: The jury evaluates how the factory software is integrated into existing software and architecture concepts and what the process concept looks like.

Customer communication: A brief presentation of initiatives to promote awareness, presentation and communication of customer awareness and own competence is required.

Research and development: This criterion is intended to present the activities in the field of research and development and to explain any cooperation with research institutions.

The presentation was embedded in a two-day congress, which mainly covered topics such as "Integration of Factory Software in Industry 4.0", "Digitalization of the Factory", "Manufacturing Analytics", "Industry 4.0 Technologies" and "Production Systems".

In the five categories Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Process Support, Complete Solution and Logistics, the following companies competed to present their system to the jury.

The winners were finally:

    Logistics: ZV Friedichshafen

  IoT: CONTACT Software GmbH

Industry 4.0: software4production GmbH

    Complete solutions: CSB-System AG

   Logistics: Jungheinrich System Solutions GmbH

www.industrie40-live.de

The international standard ISO 31000 was a new version of ISO Guide 73 ("Risk Management - Vocabulary - Guidelines for Use in Standards"). The new standard for risk management was published at the end of 2009. The systemic approach and integration into management was new.

The 2018 standard goes even further in addressing intangible uncertainties. Be it risk processes for political enterprises, against terrorism, be it reputational or security issues, the new ISO 31000 orients public as well as private organizations about new threats.

The former management measures that were important in risk management are no longer adequate for today's threats. ISO 31000:2018 is therefore formulated even more clearly. It serves as a reference work for management principles, but also as a guide to make better decisions in practice.

The new standard ISO 31000 "Risk Management - Principles and Guidelines" comprises the following elements:

• Review of the principles of risk management, which are the key criteria for its success
• Focus on leadership by top management who should ensure that risk management is integrated into all organizational activities, starting with the governance of the organization
• Greater emphasis on the iterative nature of risk management, drawing on new experiences, knowledge and analysis for the revision of process elements, actions and controls at each stage of the process
• Streamlining of the content with greater focus on sustaining an open systems model that regularly exchanges feedback with its external environment to fit multiple needs and contexts

Risk is defined as the "effect of uncertainty on objectives".

"The 2018 version places a greater focus on creating and protecting value as the key driver of risk management and features other related principles such as continual improvement, the inclusion of stakeholders, being customized to the organization and consideration of human and cultural factors." (Source. ISO.org)

The new version focuses on the consequences of incomplete knowledge of events, or on decision-making in difficult situations. It highlights changes to the traditional understanding of risk and "forces" companies to tailor risk management to their own needs and objectives - a key benefit of the new standard.

The ISO 31000 framework integrates both risk processes and management systems to ensure consistency and effectiveness across all areas of the organization. This includes strategy and planning in areas such as organizational resilience, IT, corporate governance, human resources, compliance, quality, health and safety, business continuity, crisis management and security.

ISO standard since 2015

In 2005, Australia proposed to the international standardization community that the standard AS/NZS 4360 "Risk Management" be elevated to an ISO standard. A vote within the ISO organization led to the clear result that such a standard was desirable, but that the Australian standard should not simply be adopted.

www.iso.org

The certification process in consideration of the corporate culture results: Companies are increasingly investing in their CSR commitment and value-oriented actions. Compared to previous years, companies were able to make the greatest progress in the area of corporate culture. In 2016, the "Top Employers" had fulfilled 74.4 percent of the requirements for corporate culture - now it is already 78.8 percent.

Nevertheless, companies still need to invest further in this area. This is evidenced by a look at the area of personnel planning alone - here, the top employers already meet 92.7 percent of the requirements.

Top Employers Institute, the independent institute, examined more than 200 leading German companies in recent months with regard to their human resources management and strategy. They met the institute's high standards for human resources work. The areas examined included management development, compensation & benefits, onboarding and personnel planning.

179 German, Austrian and Swiss companies honored as "Top Employers 2018

"It is becoming increasingly apparent that management sees a sustainably lived corporate culture as an important component for economic success," says Steffen Neefe, Country Manager DACH of the Top Employers Institute. "Because they know that not only customers and service providers, but also employees prefer those companies that live a culture that is equally professional, constructive and performance-oriented as well as friendly and cooperative."

CSR projects are a welcome lever here, and more and more companies are investing in corresponding measures and initiatives. HR managers are also increasingly focusing on internal networking. "Digitalization opens up a range of possibilities here," explains Neefe. "Whether customer project-related or for a purely internal company task, networking platforms ensure a more intensive dialogue between employees and a more targeted and faster project completion."

The Top Employers Institute certifies over 1300 companies worldwide, which together employ more than five million people in 113 countries.

http://www.top-employers.com/de/

On 26 April 2018, the Swiss Excellence Forum will present the Swiss Ethics Award at the Ethical Leadership Conference in the KKL Lucerne. Projects are nominated that stand out due to their high ethical benefit.

There are four projects nominated for the 2018 award:

• Clinica Luganese Moncucco: IntegraTI, integration of refugees
• Coop & Chocolats Halba: Sustainable chocolate from Ecuador (partnership project)
• Ikea: Refugee Inclusion Programme
• Swisscom: Working together for greater sustainability (sustainability strategy)

The speakers

• Max Renggli, CEO Renggli AG and Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.
• Christina Kehl, Managing Director of Swiss Finance Startups and the youngest member of the Federal Council's Advisory Council for Digital Transformation.
• Wolfgang Beltracchi, artist and master forger of the century.
• Werner von Allmen, Managing Director Swiss Excellence Forum.

The event will be moderated by Dr. Barbara Bleisch.

The partner

The Swiss Ethics Award is supported by Raiffeisen, Die Post, Holinger AG, ibW Höhere Fachschule Südostschweiz, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Linkgroup, Die Zentralbahn, Management & Qualität.

Registration for the conference (open until 20 April 2018) and further information on the Swiss Ethics Award 2018 can be found at here

In its new study "Collection Complexity Score and Rating", credit insurer Euler Hermes provides an insight into debt collection procedures. Euler Hermes shows how complicated it is to collect money for outstanding invoices in the world's 50 most important trading nations via a complexity score of international collection procedures based on three main factors:

payment practices,

the local court proceedings,

and the insolvency proceedings in the countries concerned.

This results in a ranking to help companies navigate their international trade activities.

Western European countries in the lead

With a global average score of 51 on a scale of 1 (no degree of complexity) to 100 (high degree of complexity), Western Europe tops the scale with the simplest collection procedures. Sweden, Germany and Ireland in particular have the lowest levels of complexity, with scores of 30, 30 and 31 respectively. Sweden leads the ranking with the best payment practices, the simplest court procedure as well as the most effective insolvency law.

In absolute and relative terms, Europe has the highest number of countries categorised by Euler Hermes as having the lowest level of debt collection complexity. 14 out of a total of 16 European countries surveyed are categorised as "less complex", while Greece and Italy are the exceptions with a high level of debt collection complexity.

Legal costs in Switzerland: advance at the expense of companies

The Euler Hermes study shows that the largest economies, the most dynamic markets and the most solid countries are not characterised by business-friendly framework conditions in all areas. In Switzerland, too, there are difficult aspects to the debt collection process.

"Following the standardisation of the Code of Civil Procedure, companies now have to pay the court costs in advance. However, many SMEs cannot afford the high court costs and are therefore unable to enforce their rights," says Stefan Ruf, CEO of Euler Hermes Switzerland. This is particularly problematic for the large Swiss exporters, mostly medium-sized companies. Unpaid invoices can quickly threaten their very existence. "That is why a comprehensive assessment of the contractual partners from the outset is a more reliable basis than relying on standard dunning procedures - especially in countries with complex framework conditions. Generally speaking, if the money hasn't arrived after 60 days, it's high time to call in debt collection experts with international experience."

Depending on the canton, court costs can also vary considerably:

Dispute value CHF 20,000: costs between 8,000-50,000

Dispute value CHF 100,000: costs between 20,000-100,000

Amount in dispute CHF 1.5 million: 125,000-500,000

Bringing up the rear: the Middle East

At the other end of the scale, the Middle Eastern countries Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rank as top performers in the complexity of debt collection procedures. With a score of 94, the international procedure in Saudi Arabia is three times as complicated as in Sweden.

78 out of 100 complexity points on the collection scale means third place for Malaysia, followed by China (73), Russia (72), Mexico (70), Indonesia and South Africa (67).

You can find the complete study here

With its "robo-collection solution", tilbago AG has set itself the task of making better use of the opportunities offered by digital debt collection. In this context, the electronic Debt and Bankruptcy Act (eSchKG), which offers creditor companies digital opportunities in the area of online debt collection, is particularly important for corporate receivables management. To this end, all Swiss debt collection offices offer electronic interfaces that enable cost- and time-efficient online debt collection.

Now the Swiss government is also taking a close look at Bitcoin and ICO and cryptocurrencies: by the end of 2018, a working group is to examine the legal framework for blockchain technology. Particular attention is to be paid to so-called Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), as the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF), based at the Ministry of Finance, recently announced.

In this process, companies collect money from investors and issue digital shares (tokens) instead of shares or bonds. These are then traded as cryptocurrencies on special exchanges. However, more and more countries are putting a stop to trading in cryptocurrencies: South Korea is considering a complete ban, China apparently wants to make trading impossible. France and Germany are discussing economic and fiscal challenges that have arisen in the meantime in the handling and control of virtual currencies.

Bitcoin also a topic at the G20 summit

The risks and dangers for the digital workplace still appear to be high: a loss of reputation could one day result from one-sided offers from Swiss fintech companies. Blockchain providers are repeatedly the target of hacking and fraud attempts. At the same time, the tax system is to be tied to cryptocurrencies. Too many question marks regarding Bitcoin are currently occupying the Swiss authorities and economy.

Germany and France want to present a joint proposal for regulating Bitcoin at the G20 summit in March. With the future of trading uncertain, Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, is now also on a downward slide.

Systemic risks present

Themes and hypotheses about Bitcoin are circulating like wildfire. In addition to the quasi-regulatory opportunities that these new currencies bring with them, there are also systemic and individual risks associated with the launch of various cryptocurrencies. Now, Swiss parliamentarians and insiders are also calling for these new currencies to be incorporated into the existing Swiss legal system.

At the end of September 2017, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority stated in a supervisory notice that, depending on their design, so-called "coin or token offerings" could fall under the existing financial market laws, whereby it would depend on the design in the individual case. The aim of this first interpellation is to shed light on legal issues and the risks of cybercurrencies.

Working group integrates industry  

The Federal Council shares the view that a wide range of legal questions arise in connection with Bitcoins and other cyber currencies. In some cases, these questions go beyond financial market law. In particular, they also concern aspects of general private law and public law.

" (...) These questions show that the use of blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies entails diverse risks in addition to opportunities. Against this background, the Federal Council intends, in addition to the work already underway, to analyse in greater depth the questions raised (and others) from the areas of financial market law, but also beyond."

Initial clarifications are currently being made as part of the working group under the leadership of the Federal Department of Finance mentioned by the Federal Council in its response to the Béglé motion (17.3818). It is said that the blockchain industry will be involved as far as possible. In the meantime, private individuals and SMEs must remain cautious and handle new, globally fluctuating currencies with care.

More information on the working group on blockchain/ ICO can be found on the website of the Federal Department of Finance:

www.efd.admin.ch