By retrofitting with sensors, industrial companies can make their existing machines and systems fit for modern data analytics solutions. In addition to conventional vibration, temperature and current measurement technology, this also includes new acoustic sensors. This type of sensor is particularly well suited for monitoring the condition of plants and predictive maintenance.

For example, companies can use acoustic sensors to record the noise of critical plant components such as motors, bearings or gearboxes and evaluate it using machine learning algorithms. This enables them to detect unusual noise developments that indicate the impending failure of a component. Through timely maintenance, they can then prevent the machine or plant from coming to a standstill.

There are numerous factors to consider when implementing acoustic sensors. Companies should pay attention to these:

1. Selection. Companies should choose sensors whose frequency ranges are as close as possible to the signal they want to detect. This allows them to avoid costly oversizing, because the larger a sensor's frequency band, the more expensive it is. If the sensors are exposed to moisture or dirt, they should meet the appropriate IP protection classes.
2. Installation. The acoustic sensors should be placed in such a way that they are exposed to as little disturbing ambient noise as possible. If experts can detect anomalies with their human hearing, this is a good indication that the sensors are placed in such a way that the machine analysis will also be successful.
3. Data storage. Companies should check whether they need to continuously record the noise of the monitored component or always have the recording started by a trigger - for example, when the noise exceeds a certain critical decibel limit. Then they can save storage space and costs. They also have the option of storing the audio files on inexpensive media and only storing the metadata in comparatively expensive databases.
4. Data processing. Even if companies do not store the full signal from the sensors, but a processed form, they can save costs. One such form is spectrograms that visualize acoustic signals. They have the added advantage that they can be analyzed with the sophisticated machine learning algorithms that are available today for images.
5. Privacy. Depending on the specific application, acoustic data may contain sensitive information, such as conversations between employees. Companies can filter out such information or prevent its recording from the outset by placing the sensors correctly.

"Acoustic sensors have the potential to add value in many use cases," explains Sebastian Lienert, Data Scientist at LeanBI. "For a successful implementation, companies should follow a holistic concept that includes the selection and placement of the sensor technology as well as the storage, processing and protection of the data. This concept must be tailored to the individual use case. One-size-fits-all solutions do not exist."

Source and further information: www.leanbi.ch​

While AI solutions like ChatGPT have dominated the headlines for months, many companies are still struggling to build up the necessary expertise to leverage the potential of (hyper)automation for themselves. A study by OTRS AG, the manufacturer and service provider for the Enterprise Service Management Suite of the same name, also came to this conclusion. In an online survey for the study "OTRS Spotlight: IT Service Management 2023", 600 business owners and senior executives in Germany, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore and Hungary took part. 

Germany: The tools are there, but the expertise is lacking

In principle, our northern neighbor is well positioned when it comes to process automation: More than half of German companies (55 percent) have invested in tools to automate their business processes. However, 42 percent of them lack the necessary expertise to use them, according to the study. Only 24 percent of those who have already invested in business process automation (BPA) are also already actively using artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning as part of their daily tasks and workflows. A further 29 percent of the BPA pioneers have already invested in tools for this purpose, but have not yet actively used them due to a lack of expertise, according to another result of the survey. One in five German companies that have not yet invested in BPA tools cites a lack of the necessary skills in the team to address the issue as the reason. 

IT teams are the driving force behind business process automation

The expertise needed to drive forward the automation of business processes lies primarily in the IT departments or is being expanded there: In a good third of companies in Germany, it is they who are currently actively involved in this (35 percent). They are followed at some distance by logistics (22 percent) and administration (21 percent). In the international ranking, facility and office management rank second and third behind IT. In one in five companies in Germany, no department is currently actively looking at automating business processes. However, one fifth of all German companies also intend to invest in BPA in the next twelve months. Slightly more than a third of those that have already done so also want to start integrating AI and machine learning into their business processes in the next two to five years (36 percent).

Automation works: reduced costs, increased adaptability

Executives in Germany who have already automated business processes primarily expected cost savings (22 percent) and the ability to adapt more quickly to changes (20 percent). Increased employee satisfaction was cited by 15 percent as their top expected benefit, and 13 percent each expected primarily time savings and increased customer satisfaction from their investments in BPA. Reducing data errors (9 percent), accelerating business growth (5 percent) and improved security handling (4 percent) were the biggest anticipated benefits for only a few.

To a large extent, the effects were realized to the expected extent. German executives most frequently observed increased adaptability (22 percent) and cost savings (20 percent) as the greatest benefits since their BPA measures. Fifteen percent each noted time savings, reduced data errors and increased employee satisfaction as the greatest realized benefits. Seven percent noted increased customer satisfaction as the greatest actual benefit, and the same number noted faster business growth.

Dearly-held manual processes block the path to automation

A lack of know-how in the company is by no means always the reason for not yet having invested in business process automation tools despite these advantages. More than a quarter (27 percent) of those who have not yet invested in them in Germany believe that manual processes are sufficient for them. 22 percent cite not having found a suitable tool as the main reason for their reluctance to invest in BPA tools. 16 percent cite not having had the time to deal with it yet, as it seems to be a big project.

Andreas Bender, VP Consulting at OTRS AG, warns: "Companies that completely stick to their manual processes will lose competitiveness in the medium term. Pioneers are already saving costs through automation, are more agile and work more efficiently. As AI solutions and machine learning advance, they will continue to extend this lead. Managers should therefore put their manual processes to the test and optimize and automate them wherever possible in order not to lose out. As with any project that changes work processes, they should make sure that their employees are actively involved in the change process and that they take part in it. Automation only succeeds when people and machines work together."

Source: www.otrs.com

The Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations ESTI carries out market surveillance throughout Switzerland. This is carried out in accordance with the Ordinance on Low-Voltage Electrical Products (NEV; SR 734.26). Electrical products for household, office, trade and industry are randomly tested for conformity and safety. According to the latest report, 1375 electrical appliances were recorded for inspection on the Internet and with on-site inspections at points of sale. Further checks were carried out directly at manufacturers' premises, through follow-up inspections and on the basis of reports from private individuals as well as from professionals in the electrical sector. In total, 210 products showed formal or technical defects, which corresponds to 15% of all inspected electrical products. Of these, 123 products were found to have safety-related defects that could lead to potential hazards such as electric shock, scalding, smoke development or fire.

94 Sales bans issued

If there is a potential risk to persons or if the proof of conformity is missing or incomplete, the ESTI can prohibit a product from being made available on the market. In the year under review, 94 sales bans were issued for these reasons. The products affected were various household and office appliances, LED lights, chargers, power banks and domestic batteries. Various products for industrial use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX zones) in industry and commerce were banned. In addition, numerous electrical appliances with an unauthorized foreign plug were again affected by a sales ban.

The supply of electrical appliances with a foreign plug (in particular a Schuko plug) is generally prohibited in Switzerland, as live parts can be touched when attempting to plug the appliance into the socket or through incorrect manipulation of the plug connection. In addition, such plug connections can be overloaded during operation and thus cause a fire. Consumers should reject such electrical appliances directly at the point of sale and can contact ESTI using the contact form at http://www.esti.admin.ch submit a notification. In 41 cases, economic operators in Switzerland have withdrawn defective products from the market in cooperation with ESTI. In 13 cases, these recalls or safety warnings were additionally published on the communication channels of the Consumer Affairs Bureau FOC at http://www.konsum.admin.ch respectively http://www.recallswiss.admin.ch published. These were travel adapters, insect killers, solar panels, dehydrators, various LED lights, various lithium batteries and travel chargers.

Non-compliant electrical appliances: beware of non-European online platforms

Due to the rapid technological development, ESTI also received numerous inquiries from manufacturers, dealers and private individuals about charging stations (wallboxes) and charging cables for electromobility, components for photovoltaic systems (inverters, solar modules, grid-connection units, etc.), plug-and-play photovoltaic systems up to 600W power, power banks and house batteries for private and residential use, and the new Swiss IP55 household plug-in system for wet areas.

ESTI points out to exercise caution especially when purchasing on non-European platforms and websites without a reachable Swiss contact address of the operator. Consumers are responsible for the dangers and risks posed by the device. Caution is also advised with bargains: Often such offered devices are inferior goods with incomplete product tests, which are or can become unsafe over a longer period of operation due to inferior electrical components and rudimentary construction. For consumers, this is hardly recognizable by eye.

Pay attention to safety signs

When purchasing electrical appliances, consumers can look for a correct Swiss plug, accessible and competent customer service, comprehensible operating instructions and test marks affixed to the appliance. One recognized Swiss test mark is the voluntary safety mark of ESTI (see below). Devices certified with the safety mark are available at http://www.esti.admin.ch published. Devices with recognized test marks demonstrate higher standards of product safety and thus offer consumers added value.

The crisis of confidence in the financial sector continues. Following Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, another regional bank, First Republic Bank, had to be rescued from collapse in the USA at the beginning of May - in this case through the intervention of JP Morgan. The collapse of First Republic Bank did not come as a surprise. In the April issue of the Global Outlook of the credit agency Dun & Bradstreet, the authors already pointed out the problems and the massive outflow of deposits at the Californian institution. They believe it is possible that other regional U.S. institutions with similar balance sheet and business profiles could become distressed. While it is reassuring that the big U.S. banks with strong earnings are willing to act as a protective haven for struggling smaller institutions, they add. However, deteriorating credit conditions in the U.S. could prove to be a problem, partly because of the threat of increased loan defaults as a result of the slowing U.S. economy. The risk of further dominoes falling and the banking sector being rocked by renewed panic attacks therefore persists, according to Dun & Bradstreet's assessment.

Economic slowdown and interest rate freeze in the USA

Interesting indications of global economic development were provided by the gross domestic product (GDP) data for the first quarter of 2023, which point to an economic slowdown in almost all economies. The report continues to classify the outlook for North America as "deteriorating." For example, GDP growth in the U.S. fell short of expectations in the first three months of the current year at an annualized 1.1 percent. The housing market in particular is prone to weakness. In addition, the sword of Damocles of insolvency hangs over the world's largest economy if Congress does not agree to suspend the debt ceiling. This day, known in US parlance as the "X date," could come sooner than expected.

Accordingly, the risk of renewed bank failures and a harsher credit environment persists in the USA. This aspect has prompted the Fed to stop the cycle of interest rate hikes earlier than inflation dynamics would probably justify. All in all, downside risks to the U.S. economy have increased, although a full-blown recession is still not in line with our baseline scenario.

Rising core inflation in Europe

According to Eurostat, economic growth in the European Union amounted to 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2023 and to 0.1 percent in the eurozone. Although some leading indicators give cause for moderate optimism, European economies continue to face challenges, concludes the Dun & Bradstreet report. It is true that the overall inflation rate in many Western European countries is on the retreat. However, this is no reason to sound the all-clear, as core inflation (i.e. inflation excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco) has continued to rise recently. As a result, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to raise key interest rates even further before probably taking a break in the course of the second half of the year. The rising number of insolvencies is evidence of the increased credit risk in the European economies. They increased by 27 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the previous quarter.

Asia: China benefits from catch-up effects

Furthermore, the latest Country Risk Global Outlook considers the economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific region to be "stable," although economic growth in the current year is likely to lag behind that of the previous year. Mainland China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Thailand are exceptions, it says. China is benefiting from catch-up effects following the end of the country's zero-covid policy and is likely to reach its growth target of around 5 percent this year, the authors estimate. This would benefit Asian economies that are closely intertwined with the Chinese economy in the short term, while those countries in the region that export heavily to European and U.S. markets would see a decline in external demand. "The bottom line is that we expect China's post-reopening 'growth dividend' to have limited positive effects on the rest of the world," the report said.

Commodities: Supply shortage looms for oil

The oil price for Brent crude recently settled at around 80 US dollars per barrel. As the year progresses, however, supply shortages could cause prices to rise to as much as 100 US dollars. Firstly, because the EU embargo on refined Russian oil products has come into force. Secondly, because the production cut decided by OPEC probably cannot be fully compensated by non-OPEC countries due to their limited capacity reserves.

Source and further information: Dun & Bradstreet

Telecommunications service provider Swisscom has published its latest Cyber Security Threat Radar. This publication is intended to serve as a guide and compass for maneuvering safely through the cyber world. The report observes trends and challenges in the cyber world, links and evaluates them, and provides a compact overview of the threat situation and its development in Switzerland by pooling expert knowledge. And the situation presents itself as follows: The number of cyber threats remains unabatedly high. New cyberattacks are reported in the media every day. Regardless of whether it is a large company or an SME, it can affect anyone. Hackers are constantly on the lookout for new methods to improve their attacks.

AI-Based Attacks on the Rise

Accordingly, this year's Swisscom Cyber Security Threat Radar focuses on AI-based attacks (artificial intelligence). These are cyber attacks in which artificial intelligence technologies are used. This enables hackers to carry out their attacks more effectively and efficiently in order to circumvent defensive measures. 

Swisscom has observed a sharp increase in threats in this area in recent months. This has to do with the publicly available tools, which have made a real evolutionary leap. These include, for example, the Large Natural Language Model ChatGPT, which was published in November 2022. The AI model was developed to generate human-like text and act as a voice assistant. Cybercriminals have also discovered it for themselves. It can be used, for example, to formulate personalized phishing emails more convincingly. This makes phishing attacks harder to detect and can trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.

Perennial Ransomware

In most cases, phishing is also the gateway for Ransomware attacks - another major challenge for IT security. Hackers penetrate a system via malware, encrypt files and then demand a ransom for their release. Here, Swisscom's security specialists expect a significant increase in multiple extortion, i.e. the combination of several attack tactics such as ransomware, data theft and denial of service. Managed service providers are also increasingly under attack, as they are often willing to pay ransom and their customers can be attacked directly.

Preventing the shortage of skilled workers with internal training

In order to strengthen the resilience against cyber threats in one's own company, it is essential to consider cyber and IT security in its entirety. After all, in addition to technical precautions, well-trained employees and internal cyber experts also play a key role. However, IT security experts are in high demand and hard to find. In a constant battle for talent, a company can get carried away and try to work the labor market that has been fished dry. Another option is to look inward and invest in the further education and training of your own employees. 

The report explains more about this and what other countermeasures companies can take in the current threat situation.

Source and further information: Swisscom

The traditional Swiss Quality Day is jointly organized by the SAQ and SQS. SHIFT Switzerland was also involved this year as the third event partner*. In his opening speech, its president Christian Häuselmann, together with SAQ managing director Prisca Zammaretti and Felix Müller, CEO of SQS, noted that sustainability and quality thinking are firmly rooted in the Swiss DNA. But he also regretted that personal responsibility in sustainability still worked too little and warned against more and more regulation through "hard laws".

"New Leadership" at the Swiss Quality Day 2023

But then it was back to the actual conference topic "The human being in focus". A hall survey revealed that "customer satisfaction" is the most important key term in connection with quality. And people are still largely solely responsible for this customer satisfaction. But the world has become more complex, as Prof. Dr. Lukas Scherer from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland noted in his presentation on "New Leadership": "Nothing is fixed anymore". Using facts proven in countless studies - for example, 77 percent of workers are dissatisfied with their leadership, "collegiality and fun" are top priorities for new employees, and salary is no longer the focus - he explained how difficult leadership has become today. "New leadership requires cooperation, inspiration, charisma, informal interaction with employees," and much more, Scherer said. Specifically, for leaders, it's about being a role model, taking employees seriously, valuing them and providing psychological security. Can AI help with this? Lukas Scherer showed an example of an employee assessment by ChatGPT. It read coherently, but the emotional, i.e. the human element was missing in it. Scherer's conclusion: "Even with New Leadership, the human being remains the old one." At best, AI can be a supplement to make processes more efficient.

What business can learn from sports

Prisca Zammaretti then talked via video with André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding AG, about linking quality with sustainability. Hoffmann regretted that in the past there had been too much focus on short-termism and quick prosperity. "We cannot go into the future with the systems we have had so far," Hoffmann said. "We need the courage to become more modest again," he concluded.

"Resilience in business and sports or: The dance around the corner flag" was the next program item. What elements can business learn from top-class sport? And where do both industries reach their limits? In a refreshing conversation, moderator Andrea Vetsch chatted with former top footballer and Kathrin Lehmann. Today, she works as an expert for Swiss television on the one hand, and is also CEO of her own company on the other, so she now also knows the "business side". She misses the "emotional exhaust", as she calls it, the dance around the corner flag when celebrating a goal - but also expressions of frustration in the dressing room. Rituals to celebrate success should therefore also be allowed a place in business life. She takes a critical view of the notion of flat hierarchies: "They're just flattened pyramids," and showed herself to be an advocate of the advantages that a hierarchical organization can still have. And what business can learn from (team) sports: Goals against - in other words, mistakes - can only be ironed out as a team.

Recipes for success of good employers

So what do the best employers do differently or better? This question was addressed by Heike Henfling (Schindler Aufzüge), Marianne Reisner-Schmid (Südostbahn) and Marc Holitscher (Microsoft Switzerland) in a panel discussion. These three personalities represented companies that had recently been recognized as Switzerland's best employers. In their speeches, the terms "fairness" and "appreciation" and authenticity on the part of managers were heard again and again, especially when it comes to introducing innovations. "If something doesn't come across as authentic, it doesn't work," said Marianne Reisner-Schmid, for example. And there also needs to be a "culture of debate," as Heike Henfling explained. Feedback, even negative, is welcome. Marc Holitscher added that all mistakes should be seen as learnings.

Learning from mistakes was also the topic of one of the three open sessions offered. There, Zehra Sirin (SizeConsens) used a self-experienced failure to show how this can be turned back into positive energy through a "fuck-up event". SHIFT Switzerland's Open Session showed how to use diversity to make project collaboration more sustainable. And promoting health in the workplace was the topic of Friendly Work Space's workshop.

Life Skills Taken to the Grain

The final highlight was provided by the duo Roman Tschäppeler and Mikael Krogerus. With a lot of humor and a twinkle in their eyes, they presented five life skills: Making decisions (here: those who take longer to make decisions make better decisions), collaboration skills, technological literacy (demonstrated by the so-called "hype cycle"), knowledge skills (those who appear with little knowledge but a lot of self-confidence end up on "Mount Stupid") and lifelong learning.

Quality, sustainability, new leadership, artificial intelligence: It was a colorful bouquet of topics that were highlighted on this day. They are a reflection of the complexity in which we move. In his closing remarks on the Swiss Quality Day 2023, SAQ President Ruedi Lustenberger said: "In all of this, it is important to ensure that people do not fall by the wayside.

The next Swiss Quality Day will take place on April 23, 2024. Further information: www.saq.ch

*Corrigendum: The Swiss Quality Day was organized by SAQ and SHIFT. SQS was there as a supporting partner, but not co-organizer.

Seghezzi Prize and new SAQ Presidium

Every two years, the Swiss Foundation for Research and Education Quality SFAQ awards the Seghezzi Prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of integrated quality management and sustainability. The prize, which is endowed with 10,000 Swiss francs, goes back to the founder, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c., who passed away last year. Hans-Dieter Seghezzi, who died last year. This year's winner is Julian Senoner with his dissertation "Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing - Augmenting Humans at Work". The jury particularly appreciated the practical relevance of machine learning in production processes demonstrated in this work. In it, the author shows examples of how machine learning can support quality management and the people responsible for it.

 

At the SAQ General Meeting, also held on May 11, 2023, President Ruedi Lustenberger announced his resignation. After ten years in office, he will pass on the baton to a co-presidency consisting of Ursula Grunder and Guido Graf. Prof. Dr. Lukas Scherer and Michael Vogt were also newly elected to the board.

The topic of sustainability has never been so explosive in companies: for some it is a matter of course, for others it is a regulatory constraint. As a result, managers are increasingly having to expand the sustainability aspects of their own business activities to include social, ecological and ethical issues.

Focus on sustainability issues

Wiebke Merbeth, a partner in Deloitte's strategy consulting practice and a member of the German government's Sustainable Finance Advisory Board, sees it as a clear duty for companies to do more to meet their social responsibilities. In her view, concrete sustainability measures must already start now from corporate management: "If we take too much time, then the transformation will become increasingly expensive, also because other industrialized nations will outstrip us."

Wiebke Merbeth will be taking a closer look at corporate management from a sustainability perspective at domeba's international "Compliance Days" forum. In the lecture "Sustainability as the new backbone of the German economy" on June 15, she will share her experiences from advising the German government with the participating companies.

One of the aims of the networking and lecture platform is to create greater awareness of sustainability issues at the entrepreneurial level. With the software solution iManSys from the Chemnitz-based company domeba, the compliance measures required for this can be mapped digitally. The event will also focus on presenting concrete solutions for implementation in the company.

Learn more about Compliance Management

The Compliance Days are aimed at existing and potential iManSys users from all company sectors and sizes. They will take place from June 13 to 15 at the Seaside Park Hotel in Leipzig. In various workshops and showrooms, participants will have the opportunity to learn and exchange information, for example on the digital implementation of risk assessment, hazardous materials management, and instruction and precautionary organization. Among others, the Institute Health of the City of Essen, the Autobahn GmbH of the Federal Government as well as the DKMS Life Science Lab gGmbH will be represented.

Matthias Domes, Managing Director of domeba, explains: "For 25 years now, we have been dealing with the topics that make up comprehensive and sustainable compliance management. But never before have they been as topical as this year. The great demand for the program items of our Compliance Days and the keynote by Wiebke Merbeth also speaks for this."

Further information

According to the global study "State of Ransomware 2023" by Sophos, cybercriminals in Switzerland succeed in encrypting data in 91 percent (76 percent internationally) of ransomware attacks on organizations. From an international perspective, it is the highest rate of data encryption by ransomware since the IT security service provider first published its annual Ransomware Report in 2020. Three thousand cybersecurity/IT executives from 14 countries were surveyed between January and March. 

Ransom payments double recovery costs

From a global perspective, the survey shows that companies that paid ransom to decrypt their data additionally doubled their recovery costs ($750,000 recovery costs versus $375,000 for companies that used backups to recover data). In addition, paying the ransom typically means a longer recovery time: 45 percent of companies that used backups were able to recover data within a week, compared to 39 percent of companies that paid the ransom.

Number of data encryptions at a high level

Overall, 75 percent of the companies surveyed in Switzerland (66 percent internationally) were attacked by ransomware. This indicates that the number of ransomware attacks has remained consistently high after all, despite the supposed decline during the pandemic years. "Encryption rates have returned to very high levels after a temporary decline during the pandemic, which is concerning. Ransomware criminals have refined their attack methods and accelerated their attacks to shorten the time it takes for defenders to foil their plans," Chester Wisniewski, Field CTO, Sophos, classified the study findings. "The cost of incidents increases significantly when ransoms are paid. Most victims will not be able to recover all their files by simply buying the encryption keys; they will also need to import backups. Paying ransom not only enriches the criminals, but also slows down the incident response and increases costs in an already devastating situation," Wisniewski continues.

Vulnerabilities exploited

When analyzing the cause of ransomware attacks, the most common starting points in Switzerland were an exploited vulnerability 27 percent (36 percent internationally) and compromised credentials 25 percent (29 percent internationally). This is consistent with recent Incident response findings from the "2023 Active Adversary Report for Business Leaders" from Sophos to respond to incidents in the field.

The study also shows the following additional findings:

• In 34 percent of ransomware cases involving data encryption in Switzerland, the attackers also stole data. This indicates that this "double-dip" method (data encryption and data exfiltration) is becoming more common.
• Internationally, the education sector reports the most ransomware attacks, with 79 percent of higher education organizations surveyed and 80 percent of lower education organizations surveyed reporting that they have been victims of ransomware.
• Overall, 38 percent (46 percent internationally) of the organizations surveyed in Switzerland whose data was encrypted paid a ransom and received data back. However, ransomware payments were far more common among larger organizations from an international perspective. More than half of organizations with revenues of $500 million or more paid the ransom, with the highest rate reported by organizations with revenues of more than $5 billion. This may be due in part to the fact that larger companies are more likely to have a standalone cyber insurance policy that covers ransomware payments.

Tips against ransomware and data encryption

"Two-thirds of organizations report being a victim of ransomware for the second year in a row. The key to reducing this risk is to dramatically shorten both the time to detection and the time to response. Human-led threat hunting is very effective at stopping these criminals, but alerts must be investigated and the criminals removed from systems within hours, not during weeks and months. Experienced analysts can spot the patterns of active intrusion within minutes and take immediate action. This is likely the difference between the one-third of companies that remain secure and the two-thirds that do not. Companies need to be on alert 24/7 to build effective defenses these days," Wisniewski said.

IT security specialists offer the following three tips to protect against ransomware, data encryption and other cyberattacks:

1. Reinforce the defensive shields by:

• Security tools that defend against the most common attack vectors. These should include endpoint protection with strong anti-exploit capabilities to prevent vulnerability exploitation and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to thwart the misuse of compromised credentials.
• Adaptive technologies that automatically respond to attacks, disrupt attackers and buy defenders time to respond
• 24/7 threat detection, investigation and response. Either in-house or through a specialized managed detection and response (MDR) provider.

2. Optimize attack preparation, including regular backups, testing to recover data from backups, and maintaining an up-to-date incident response plan
3. Maintain good security hygiene, including timely patching and regular review of security tool configurations

Source: Sophos

As highly experienced software developers in the Microsoft ecosystem, we use AI tools based on MS technologies in the context of quality management. AI models are used to simplify QM tasks such as prediction, form/document processing, object recognition, classification by categories and entity extraction.

At BPA Solutions SA, we work with already established and proven AI models to mainly identify logical, unique and helpful key elements in the text and classify them into predefined categories. This model allows users to ask general questions to a chatbot (in Microsoft Teams) and get relevant content from their eQMS, such as my pending actions or recently published documents. Furthermore, we use AI to search for similar documents or non-conformities and simplify problem resolution. This can also make problem resolution much more accurate, efficient and faster. These tools provide a novel and very useful way to leverage the existing eQMS with productive, real-time discussions to eliminate cumbersome email processes and simplify the user experience.

We studied the object recognition AI model, which is interesting for the quality control operations or inventory management. However, this model needs to be trained with thousands of relevant photos. For device verification, we used Power Apps to develop a mobile application with a barcode scanner to quickly identify devices without the need to train an AI model, which would otherwise be costly, tedious, and result in potential inaccuracies.

As a result, time, cost, and results must always be considered when using AI.

Can ChatGPT help in the context of quality management?

ChatGPT is not able to specifically index only the entire content of your eQMS software. It has been developed and trained to retrieve content from the entire Internet. In this context, ChatGPT could still be very effective in helping quality managers make informed decisions and enforce good quality management practices.

BPA continues to analyze possible ways to use ChatGPT, combining contextual eQMS content with subject matter expertise. For example, ask about possible corrective actions for a temperature deviation error in a pharmaceutical product or ask about possible causes for such an error. 

Contact BPA Solutions for a free trial at. sales@bpa-solutions.ch or +41 24 524 25 40.

www.bpa-solutions.net

Obtaining ISO-20121 certification sets out the requirements for a sustainability management system for events or event-related activities and provides guidance on how to comply with these requirements. Over the past few years, Bernexpo Groupe has been working intensively on the topic of sustainability and has looked into the goal of ISO-20121 certification. During this time, many intensive discussions were held with partners. The topic was also addressed in detail internally. "ISO certification is an important step in the right direction. With these guidelines, we exemplify sustainability in the event industry and can show, especially with regard to the new event and congress hall in Bern, that we mean business," says Tom Winter, CEO of the group of companies.

Promoting new partnerships and sustainability

The certificate was signed by Rolf Schwery, Executive Director acting responsibly AG, and Christoph Kamber, President of the Expo Event Swiss LiveCom Association, and ceremoniously presented to Bernexpo Groupe. Both acting responsibly AG and the Expo Event Association are actively committed to increasing the focus on sustainability in the event industry.

With a detailed concept, various ambitious goals have been defined for the next three years in different areas to improve sustainability. These include the following: Energy, Catering and Food Waste, Waste and Recycling, Resource Consumption and Procurement, Integration, Diversity and Accessibility, Sanitation and Cleaning, Construction and Dismantling and Logistics, and Working Conditions and Safety. As part of these goals, the group is also looking forward to forming new partnerships and promoting sustainability in the events industry, according to a statement.

Further projects are in progress

In addition to obtaining ISO 20121 certification, Bernexpo Groupe is already involved in many other areas and associations and is targeting further projects. For example, the group of companies is a member of the Energy Saving Alliance as well as on board with Sustainable Switzerland. In addition, the Bernese company is involved in the Climate Platform and will soon also become a member of Swisstainable.

Over the next three years, Bernexpo Groupe will provide even more intensive information on the topic of sustainability and is committed to achieving its milestones. The company clearly sees itself in a pioneering role, thanks all those involved for their help and support in this process and looks forward to implementing the planned measures with its partners in the coming years.

Source and further information

Millions of articles are published worldwide every day. According to the business information service LexisNexis, over 200,000 texts are published in German alone. One of the greatest challenges for financial institutions is to recognize threats early on in this mass and avert damage. After all, anyone who does business with publicly known tax evaders, money launderers or even sanctioned individuals risks hefty fines and expensive reputational damage.

At the Future-Compliance.ch conference, participants will be presented with concrete practical examples of how financial institutions can protect themselves from problematic individuals and organizations with reasonable effort. The morning program will shed light on what the regulator requires of them and how banks can integrate Adverse Media into their KYC process (Know your customer). In addition, participants will get an insight into how five banks in Liechtenstein keep the effort for Adverse Media Screening under control despite millions of news articles per day.

In the afternoon, technically interested people will get the chance to look behind the scenes of artificial intelligence. It will be explained how ChatGPT & Co. work and how automatic text analysis and text production will facilitate and change everyday compliance. 

The event offers compliance officers and managers of banks an excellent opportunity to learn from experts and find out about the latest developments in this area. The event will take place both on-site in Zurich and online.

The most important in a nutshell

Log in:      www.future-compliance.ch

Date: May 25

Time: 09:00 - 16:15

Location: On site in Zurich or online

Referrer

• Michèle Hess, PwC: What does the regulator require of banks in Switzerland?
• Stefan Lampert, Kaiser Partner: How do five banks in Liechtenstein manage the daily monitoring workload?
• Veronika Schlegel, gwp: A problematic person or organization has been identified - what now?
• Jeanne Le Garrec, Rosette & Peter De Bie, Rosette at Babel Street: fewer false positives with modern name matching.
• Daniel Niklaus, Netlive IT AG: ChatGPT & Co. - A look into the lab and how artificial intelligence will simplify the work of the compliance department in the future.