Among other things, employee participation is crucial to the success of a management system. The QM experts from ConSense Management Consulting, the consulting services of the Aachen-based software developer ConSense GmbH, recommend using the process-oriented approach not only to build a software-based quality management or integrated management system, but also to promote internal communication. This is because suggestions for improvement arise from this, which help the system to achieve increased use and a high level of acceptance.

Process-oriented approach: promoting knowledge management and shared learning

This process-oriented approach to supporting internal communication involves modeling and optimizing processes with the participation of employees. Knowledge and approaches to the respective processes are collected, views are exchanged, and a common picture of the respective task is developed. With the help of the SIPOC method, a design principle from lean management, processes and procedures can be presented in a lean, transparent and easily comprehensible manner with a relatively low level of detail. By working together as a team, a uniform, visualized basis is created in this way, which can also be used to make subsequent changes, updates and improvements more easily, as all those involved start from the same basis.

From process annotations to chat channels: Sharing knowledge and experience

Since knowledge gained from experience cannot be passed on completely through documentation, ConSense Management Consulting relies on close exchange and cooperation among employees. The company's software solutions are designed with this in mind, offering their users a variety of options for adding questions, ideas and suggestions to operational processes. For example, evaluations or comments on processes can be stored. In addition, chat channels are used for direct communication and collaboration within the management system. In this way, processes and activities are repeatedly viewed jointly by those involved, who exchange their experience and knowledge of them and optimize or further develop procedures. The value of process modeling therefore lies not only in the visualization and analysis of processes and their potential for improvement, but also in the support of communication within teams or between departments. At the same time, a common understanding of the work processes can be created.

Webinars and workshops for practical implementation

The management system experts of the Aachen-based software house teach how to realize the implementation in an application-oriented way and what needs to be taken into account. ConSense Management Consulting provides support for practical and application-oriented process modeling based on a holistic view of companies. This takes equal account of the three design areas of technology, organization and people. An introduction to the topic is provided by the ConSense Campus Webinar "Processes as if from a single mold with a style guide for process descriptions"which will take place on March 9, 2023, for example. For a more in-depth study, the full-day workshop "ConSense Styleguide for Process Modeling" is suitable, which will be scheduled on request.

Digitization has picked up speed in many industries. But the healthcare sector is lagging far behind. For the digital transformation of the healthcare system to succeed, the needs and fears of the Swiss population must be taken into account. Against this backdrop, digitalswitzerland 2022 launched Digital Health, a new initiative that aims to digitize the entire Swiss healthcare system and make it patient-centric. This should help to improve the transparency, accessibility and understanding of health information for the entire Swiss population. A survey has now been conducted to find out how the Swiss population rates the digitization of the healthcare system.

The higher the level of education, the higher the level of health and digital literacy

The survey results show that many Swiss citizens rate their health literacy (76%) and digital literacy (72%) as high to very high. Health literacy increases with age, while digital literacy decreases. The level of education also plays an important role: people with a higher level of education have higher health and digital literacy. "Health and digital literacy should already be addressed in compulsory schooling so that all citizens have the same opportunities to develop these important skills of today and tomorrow," concludes Jade Sternberg, Project Manager Digital Health, digitalswitzerland and lead author of the study.

Key factor for the digitization of the healthcare system: trust

Trust in the various healthcare organizations that play a role in the digitization of the healthcare system is particularly important. With regard to the handling of health data, 70% of respondents have a high to very high level of trust in healthcare providers including hospitals, followed by the government (47%), while the private sector (22%) enjoys the lowest level of trust. Trust in hospitals and primary care physicians accounts for their high ranking as the most important source of health information (54%). Medical personnel have been a central element of the health care system for centuries, but there are signs of a shift toward a system that is less focused on medical professionals and more on patients.

Patients take an increasingly active role

At the same time, the role of patients is also changing, as they are taking a more active role and more personal responsibility than in the past. Thus, 31% of the population no longer refer exclusively to people in need of treatment as patients. Everyone is a patient, whether healthy, sick or injured. This is also reflected in the increasing variety of preventive services offered by health insurers. Tomorrow's healthcare system should be patient-centered and empower patients to learn about their health and become more engaged with preventive measures. This with the aim of promoting a more active and healthier society.

"We are currently not exploiting the potential of preventive healthcare. Prevention will play a key role in the future - it is the only way to make the transition from a system focused on the sick and injured to one focused on keeping all citizens healthy for longer, explains Philomena Colatrella, CEO of CSS.

This is accompanied by the desire of patients to have more control over their own health data. 68% of the population want to be legal owners of their personal health data. The electronic patient dossier is a step in this direction, as patients themselves have control over who can access their data.

Data protection as a key for or against the digitization of the healthcare system

Digitization has many advantages, but also arouses fears among citizens. 46% of the population fear that their data will be misused or stolen. Data protection has recently become more of a focus, but will have to play an even more central role in the digitalization of the healthcare system in the future to ensure that appropriate systems and servers are used for storing and exchanging data and that data misuse, incorrect storage or data theft are avoided. "We need to bring together all relevant players and representatives of the Swiss healthcare system to enable a smooth and successful transition of the healthcare system into the digital world," says Jade Sternberg. Only together can this transition be successful with transparent communication and empowerment of patients. 

Source: digitalswitzerland

45 percent of people in Switzerland reject digitization of their health data

People in Switzerland are skeptical about the digital collection and sharing of their health data. Almost one in two is not prepared to do so. This is the finding of the new Deloitte study "Digitization of health data: great opportunities, great skepticism". However, the lack of trust can be strengthened through education and transparency, as well as by demonstrating the potential benefits of digitized health data for people themselves as well as for the healthcare system as a whole. On the one hand, policymakers are now called upon to stimulate public debate about a uniform, adequately secured and monitored digitized healthcare system and to create the necessary conditions at the federal level for its sustainable and uniform implementation. On the other hand, providers of digital solutions, medical institutions and healthcare professionals must make greater efforts to gain the trust of patients and highlight the benefits of digitization. Among the most important advantages of systematic digitization is the potential for significant Increases in efficiency and effectivenessand in particular with regard to patient care as well as the increasingly complex processes that have been in place for a long time.

Source: Deloitte

Data will be central to a revolution in healthcare. The global healthcare Big Data market will be worth $71.6 billion by 2027, with providers investing up to 25 % of their total budgets in technology. Data is driving innovation in diagnostics, life sciences, and operational efficiency, among others, and helping healthcare professionals focus more on patient health and well-being. Similarly, AI and cloud computing will enable better connected systems of care that leverage all available health data to improve treatment, care and prevention.

Access to the right data and effective technology will enable a greater focus on patients. By understanding each patient's individual medical history, from diagnosis to the efficacy of specific treatments to potential adverse effects that need to be managed, healthcare professionals can make more informed decisions and achieve better outcomes. Effective use of healthcare data also enables intelligent analytics and automated processes that increase efficiency and allow physicians and healthcare professionals to prioritize patient care.

However, there are hurdles that make this smart, connected approach to healthcare difficult. Data tends to be fragmented, making it difficult to deliver efficient, personalized care. At the same time, increasing challenges with regulatory compliance and cybersecurity precautions are forcing healthcare organizations to take a proactive approach to managing data.

Putting the data puzzle together

The healthcare industry faces major challenges when it comes to data management. Traditionally, healthcare organizations purchase and operate their own systems, with patient data scattered across different departments, databases and solution providers. Patient data is captured in a very fragmented manner both within organizations and across the industry. As with all databases, this thus creates inefficiencies and makes it difficult to use the data for analysis, diagnosis, research and appropriate action.

To unlock the full potential of healthcare data, traditionally well-managed and stored in a structured way must be merged with unstructured data to create a unified view of relevant information. Healthcare is storing more and more data from more and more sources, including wearables and patient apps. Finding useful data in this volume can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Moving toward a well-integrated autonomous database in the cloud, for example, will allow providers to realize the full potential of their data and gain insights that improve patient care.

Healthcare providers leading by example

Case in point: With Oracle Analytics Cloud and Autonomous Data Warehouse, Sejong Hospital in South Korea, a leading hospital specializing in heart disease, has improved the impact on the lives of over 1,600 children with heart disease. Capturing data throughout the medical process and seamlessly providing real-time information to medical teams means that life-saving decisions that once took hours to evaluate can now be made in minutes.

American Hospital Dubai, as another example, is also aiming to use data to improve patient outcomes through its comprehensive digital transformation. Working with Cerner and Oracle, the hospital implemented a new electronic health record to enable physicians to provide better patient care and introduced a resource planning platform to reduce costs and increase productivity. This integrated patient data also forms the basis for the hospital's AI and robotics research, leading to further benefits for patients.

In Switzerland, the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) is one of five university hospitals in Switzerland and operates eight hospitals in the canton of Geneva as well as 40 outpatient clinics and specialty clinics in the region. Geneva University Hospital has migrated the majority of its database systems to Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, an option of Oracle Exadata Cloud Services, which is delivered as a managed service in its own data center. Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer thus enables HUG to consolidate its mission-critical systems on a single IT platform while complying with relevant data retention regulations.

Healthcare is not a one-size-fits-all

Each patient should be considered individually. They have different medical needs, treatment plans and communication preferences. And yet, most patient treatments and medical analyses are standardized. The pandemic has raised patient expectations, and with the advent of virtual appointments, the range of personalized experiences patients have is expanding. Telemedicine platforms alone are seeing a growth rate of 1,000 %. When healthcare providers increase their focus on personalized patient experiences online and offline, everyone receives the treatment that makes sense for them. It can also improve outcomes by ensuring that individual patients better adhere to treatment plans.

A rigorous approach to data management, if implemented effectively, can lead to greater personalization and lower healthcare costs. Coloplast A/S, a Danish multinational company that develops and manufactures medical devices, supports its patients with a personalized support program. Here, Coloplast Care works with Oracle Customer Experience (CX) solutions and supports nurses and doctors directly by providing them with information tailored to them and the situation.

Working with regulations and restrictions

The majority of people are concerned about the security of their health data. Health data is rightly subject to heightened protection. Providers can work with regulations in a compliant and secure manner and use the data to achieve better outcomes for patients. Regional regulations such as the GDPR in Europe include categorization and protections specific to health data. They also include data localization requirements that are particularly sensitive for cloud-based healthcare providers. Therefore, robust governance is of utmost importance, not only to protect patients, but also to protect organizations from law enforcement.

Dutch health insurer Zorg & Zekerheid ensures that its customers receive high-quality, affordable care based on comprehensive data sets and relies on automation to further increase data security. By implementing Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse, almost all manual tasks that can provoke human error have been automated. Automation provides improved security, reduces costs and saves time. Data is further secured by encrypting unused and active data, protecting regulated data, and quickly scanning and detecting threats.

Data-driven healthcare

It has been shown that healthcare providers who invest in their data management can provide better patient care and gain a competitive advantage. Connected and secure data will not only lead to improvements within healthcare, but also to more advanced medical advances, greater diversity and efficiency in clinical trials, and faster time to market for medicines. Responsible use of health data saves lives, and we've only just begun to scratch the surface of what can be accomplished. As Dr. Shetty of Narayana Health from the largest heart clinic in the world, says, "We believe in God, but for everything else, we need data."

Author:
Thierry Buecheler is Head of Key Cloud Business, Business Value & Strategy EMEA at Oracle.

Most companies still do not have a comprehensive program for disaster recovery - that is, for restoring systems and data in the event of a disaster - even though they are exposed to various serious risks, such as natural disasters or cyber attacks. And they thus bear the risk of all impacts due to data loss or downtime, including Loss of revenue, cost of penalties and fines, and damage to the corporate brand.

Despite the obvious risk and the potentially devastating consequences for the entire business, system houses and managed service providers (MSPs) still have a hard time convincing CEOs that a disaster of any kind is virtually inevitable. Hoping that nothing will happen is not a good plan - especially when proven solutions exist.

There are three ways CEOs, managers or senior management can be convinced that they should not only back up their data, but invest in a professional disaster recovery solution:

1. the crucial difference between backup and disaster recovery

The chain of reasoning that can be used to convince executives to invest in an appropriate disaster recovery strategy often begins with education. It helps that company management knows the difference between data backup and disaster recovery. Data-only backups create copies of important data that are available in the event the original data is lost or compromised. Backups in the cloud or other secondary environment have proven effective. However, traditional backups are not enough to ensure a quick and complete recovery from a disaster. This is where disaster recovery comes into play. A disaster recovery plan ensures a quick and complete recovery from a disaster of almost any type. It includes a detailed plan that lays out all the steps required for a full recovery while ensuring those steps are carried out. It defines the recovery objectives and establishes measures that not only address IT concerns, but aim to safeguard the entire business and its process chains. In addition, regular tests of the backup copies ensure that the data, systems and process chains can actually be restored. It is important for company management to understand that data protection and backup are only part of a comprehensive disaster recovery plan and do not guarantee business continuity.

It's not about fear, it's about safety

Fear can be a strong motivator. But much better is the assurance that there is nothing to be afraid of. With this positive message, CEOs are much easier to convince that disaster recovery and a disaster recovery plan is essential to ensuring business. A disaster recovery plan is an investment that can secure revenue and protect the company's existence. It also provides an opportunity for executives to gain deep insights into every part of the organization to further assess its reliance on digital technology. After all, the ultimate goal is to ensure that the company is always available to its customers, produces efficiently, and ultimately succeeds.

In short, initiatives such as disaster recovery and a disaster recovery plan will be approved and supported by senior management when the pros and cons are communicated and understood at the C-level. When systems houses and MSPs provide a detailed overview of potential threats and the aftermath costs of disasters versus the benefits of a comprehensive disaster recovery program, a contract is highly likely to be awarded.

The availability and benefits of DRaaS

Many organizations have found that assigning internal IT staff to disaster recovery can be problematic. That's because these employees are distracted from their real job of providing essential support for day-to-day business activities. As a result, many CEOs are open to allocating budgets to MSPs rather than burdening internal resources to create, deploy and maintain a disaster recovery plan. A wide range of IT functions that were once handled internally are now provided as a service by external vendors. IT services of all types are labor- and cost-efficient because they do not require investment in new infrastructure, for example.

In the event of a disaster where a company's servers, hard drives or other IT components fail, a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) partner can quickly step in and restore both the data and the infrastructure. A DRaaS partner ensures that all data is backed up regularly and that a solid plan is in place to get infrastructure back up and running quickly after a disaster. For CEOs, that means peace of mind for their business. With a DRaaS partner, they have peace of mind knowing that experienced professionals are handling all the challenges of disaster recovery and systematically managing all aspects of recovery. They can rest assured that a disaster won't put the business out of business.

In summary: Disaster recovery needs a strategy

No company CEO would drive a car without insurance coverage or buy a house without insurance. And yet, many companies operate their business without a disaster recovery and disaster recovery strategy. Those in charge hope that no disaster will occur, or they ignore the risk. That's not a good strategy, and it's completely unnecessary. That's because today there are plenty of experienced MSPs offering solid solutions and services.

Author:
Florian Malecki is Executive Vice President Marketing of Arcserve, a data protection and business continuity solution provider.

Since 2005, SAP has honored more than 1,300 customers worldwide with SAP Quality Awards. In Switzerland, SAP has selected 112 winners since 2008 who have distinguished themselves with outstanding performance in the planning and execution of implementation projects. Successful SAP implementations demonstrate not only project planning at a high level of quality, but also a focus on fast and cost-effective implementations close to the SAP standard. The Quality Awards recognize SAP customers who demonstrate exceptional performance. The projects are evaluated by an independent jury on the basis of the ten quality principles recommended by SAP. Those who follow them can expect better results when implementing standard software. The aim is to achieve project results that generate measurable added value and meet the demand for short implementation cycles and rapid value creation.

SAP Quality Awards: Awards in three categories

Companies with successful SAP implementations can apply for an SAP Quality Award in three categories. In each category, a grand prize winner will be selected.

• New here is the category "Sustainability". Companies wishing to apply in this category must have at least one of the solutions from the SAP's sustainability portfolio have in active use. This portfolio includes solutions for climate change, the circular economy, social responsibility, and sustainability and ESG reporting. As a further condition, the projects submitted must have a measurable impact on at least one of the 17 Sustainable development goals (Sustainable Development Goals, SDG) of the United Nations.
• Under the category "Rapid Time to Value" fall under small and medium-sized projects with less than 600 users, a project duration of 7 months or less and a project effort of less than 1000 person-days.
• The category "Business Transformation" includes large projects with more than 500 users, a project duration of more than 6 months and an effort of more than 900 person-days.

Who can participate?

All companies that have implemented an SAP solution 2 to 18 months prior to the application and are domiciled in Switzerland or are managed by SAP Switzerland are eligible to participate. The projects must not have been submitted to another SAP company or in a previous year for a Quality Award. SAP partners are allowed to support their customers in the application, but cannot submit projects themselves.

Companies interested in applying fill out a Questionnaire as well as the online nomination out. They form the basis for a shortlist. Companies on the shortlist then present their project to the independent jury in an online session lasting 45 minutes. This panel ultimately selects the winners in each award category.

According to SAP, the winners benefit from the award in several ways. They receive internal and external recognition for their performance. The award brings prestige to the teams and their members. It is also proof of professionalism to relevant stakeholders and facilitates the financing of future IT projects.

The 6th CEX study by the HWZ University of Applied Sciences Zurich, conducted annually in collaboration with the consulting firm nexa Consulting, is a long-term study that identifies development trends in customer experience in Switzerland. This year's study demonstrated that just over half of Swiss companies have recognized that the customer experience must continue to gain in importance.

Optimize customer experience

"Optimizing the customer experience is more like a marathon than a sprint. The results show encouraging progress in recent years - but also prove that there is still enormous room for further improvement," says Prof. Dr. Michael Grund, Head of the Department of Marketing and Business Communications at the HWZ. 51 percent of the 139 participating companies from a wide range of industries in German- and French-speaking Switzerland, which were surveyed in the annual study between August and October, believe that the topic of customer experience has become even more relevant in their company compared to the previous year. The three biggest challenges in German- and French-speaking Switzerland are: The lack of processes, the corporate culture, which tends to be perceived as conservative, and the lack of expertise. Striking: Since the beginning of the study, corporate culture has been among the biggest challenges to further strengthen digital channels, accelerate innovation and development of products, and professionalize customer analyses, among others.

Strong growth in the maturity of the customer experience

This year, the CX maturity score recorded the strongest growth ever and the highest value since the study was launched in 2017. Anne-Laure Vaudan, Managing Partner of nexa, points out, "Companies are showing a positive sentiment, which is probably the result of the numerous customer experience projects carried out at an accelerated pace during the pandemic. This is also the result of targeted investments and an increasingly structured internal CX organization."

Priorities for 2023

The main reason for investing in the context of customer experience is to increase and strengthen customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and brand differentiation. The 2023 priorities underpin the challenges identified in the study as far as the customer experience is concerned. As a result, companies are primarily investing in IT systems, employee training and digital channel optimization. As far as the budgets earmarked for customer experience are concerned, the companies expect the use of funds to remain the same or to increase slightly.

Source: HWZ

The application of standards is voluntary. However, they become mandatory if compliance with them is prescribed by law or if the parties to the contract agree on them. If standards are stipulated in purchasing conditions, for example, companies are de facto compelled to apply them. Swiss supplier companies in particular are affected when exporting to EU countries if the client requires compliance with European standards.

Laws and standards: What's the difference?

Only laws or ordinances issued by an authority that has sovereign lawmaking powers under the Constitution have generally binding legal force. Standards, on the other hand, are issued by organizations under private law that do not have the power to legislate, which means that the standards fundamentally lack the character of legally binding force.

Legal certainty through standards

Although standards are not laws, they nevertheless contribute to legal certainty. Standards are regarded as clear and recognized rules of technology, and compliance with standards represents an important step in proving proper conduct. The actual purpose of standards is not to burden companies unnecessarily with specifications and to take legal action against them in the event of non-compliance, but to facilitate economic cooperation by standardizing types, sizes, methods, etc.

SNV - the national standards organization of Switzerland

In Switzerland, SNV is the recognized national standards organization. This is legitimized by the federal notification ordinance of June 17, 1996 and a contract with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The SNV is a full member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). In this way, it ensures international cooperation in standardization.

Further information: www.snv.ch

Although the acute effects of the pandemic are subsiding in many countries, companies will continue to face significant risks worldwide in 2023. Experts predict that global risks have the potential to lower productivity levels as the cost-of-living crisis and challenging security situation impact employees. This is according to a new risk outlook, "Risk Outlook 2023," from International SOS and the updated world risk map "Risk Map highlight. These contain data on the medical and security environment of countries around the world with a rating from "insignificant" to "extreme.

Many of the findings for the 2023 Risk Outlook are based on a survey of 1218 senior employee health and safety professionals in 108 countries. From the DACH region, 108 experts participated. This provides a detailed overview of some of the biggest risks companies will face in 2023. In addition to existing issues, such as mental health, it shows that managers should support their employees in using accurate sources of information as they are affected by constantly changing events in the permanent crisis.

Risk Outlook 2023: The five forecasts from International SOS

Based on the results of the Risk Outlook survey, the Workforce Resilience Council and the organization's own data, International SOS has identified the top five trends that organizations need to be aware of in 2023:

1. Importance of news/information in decision making: The influence of up-to-date, trustworthy, accurate, and actionable information or news on business decision-making continues to grow.
2. Adapting to the "permanent crisis": Companies must adapt to a permanent crisis with geopolitical shifts, socioeconomic challenges and increasing polarization.
3. Planning the unplannable - Business travel and overseas trips are slowly returning to their old levels, but are being done with far more caution and care. Business travelers want more support.
4. Climate change and other events: Climate change or its consequences and other circumstances, such as epidemics and pandemics, increase health risks with far-reaching effects. A comprehensive approach is needed for companies to ensure employee health.
5. The 'happy at work' equation (A+B+C)-D: This is the new equation for satisfaction at work. A new era has dawned in terms of mental health at work.

Consideration of the effects of geopolitical changes

The Russia/Ukraine conflict was the defining security issue in 2022, illustrating that geopolitics and the threat of interstate conflict are back on the corporate risk agenda. The conflict will certainly continue to have an impact in 2023. As a result, companies must learn to effectively manage the changing global risk environment. Geopolitical volatility will also spread beyond Russia/Ukraine over the next twelve months, as the growing rift between Russia and the West will impact other conflicts and exacerbate long-standing geopolitical tensions. In addition to the unmistakable divide between Russia and the West, competition between the U.S. and China will increasingly dominate the geopolitical and economic landscape. Best practices for companies are to continually review the likelihood and potential impact to elicit the potential consequences for their business and employees.

Many crisis management teams are currently learning to deal with a state of "perpetual crisis". In 2023, providing the right level of training, investment and support for these teams will be an important task for organizations, as experts have already pointed to high levels of crisis management fatigue. Managing this fatigue is key to moving from permanent crisis to crisis resilience. Companies that have effectively implemented lessons learned from the past two years benefit from more robust capabilities to manage challenges. Dealing with the permanent crisis in the right way is proving to be an extremely important issue: Numerous experts surveyed forecast that geopolitical trends will have a negative impact on productivity levels:

Increasing social unrest

The new Risk Outlook also shows how many of the experts surveyed believe social unrest will be a major cause of lost productivity in 2023. According to the report, 48 percent of respondents predict that cost-of-living pressures will impact domestic workers, and one-third (33 percent) expect unrest to affect business travelers. As a result, social unrest will be a major item on executives' agendas in 2023 - the problem is extremely multifaceted and impacts businesses and employees in many ways. Some issues and key points that executives should consider in this context are:

• Volatility in energy and agricultural markets will fuel unrest, especially in unstable, fragile economies. Regions most likely to be affected: Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, Lebanon.
• Lack of progress in resolving underlying economic or political problems will lead to growing public discontent as well as unrest, with the risk of violence growing over time. Regions most likely to be affected: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Peru, Iraq.
• Polarization at the global level will translate into further domestic division, reinforcing existing triggers for social unrest and, in extreme cases, leading to increased localized violence and criminal activity. High-risk regions: USA, Western Europe.

Increasing impact of climate change

According to the Risk Outlook 2023, the effects of climate change - beyond the immediate consequences of extreme weather events - need to be considered at several levels. Companies should prepare for the potential increase in health risks associated with climate change. Experts point out that climate change is contributing to an acceleration in the emergence of new infectious diseases as well as the resurgence of old ones, as evidenced by the numerous "unusual" outbreaks of the 21st century. These include SARS, Ebola, COVID-19, and monkeypox. A report published in August 2022 in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change estimates that "more than half of known human pathogenic diseases may be exacerbated by climate change." It is believed that climate change will also lead to an increase in mosquito-borne diseases as temperatures and water levels rise. This situation could lead to outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus in areas where these diseases have not yet occurred, and more frequent outbreaks in areas where they are already present.

These forecasts are even more important in light of the fact that, to date, only a quarter of organizations surveyed (25 percent) are actively preparing for future pandemics and COVID-19 variants. Best practices include conducting risk assessments of existing and potential health threats, incorporating projections for potential geographic expansion of threats due to climate change and other forces. Dr. Stefan Esser, Medical Director Central Europe at International SOS, comments, "Organizations are well versed in the response to the existing COVID-19 pandemic and should build on this existing knowledge. Crisis and business continuity plans need to be enhanced to address both known health risks and other potential health threats. Conducting emergency drills proves useful in this regard: these should include both likely and unlikely worst-case scenarios to ensure that responsible teams and employees are prepared."

Business travelers need more support in 2023

The 2023 Risk Outlook indicates that most companies (86 percent) will maintain or increase their budgets for travel risk management. Travel is expected to continue to increase and likely reach pre-pandemic levels. This trend is confirmed by data collected by International SOS. According to this data, international travel is currently 83 percent of pre-pandemic volumes. However, travelers are twice as likely to need advice or assistance. Business travel will clearly become more complex in the coming year, as companies must manage many issues in parallel. Encouragingly, experts predict that despite rising costs, travel management budgets will increase or stay the same in 2023. Investments of this kind will be crucial to ensuring the safety of business travelers in the coming year.

Source: International SOS

Data is the new oil, the new oxygen, or the lifeblood of a company. Whichever metaphor best applies, without access to critical data and systems, a company is paralyzed while competitors pass by. That's why they should stay up to date on the latest threats to their data, as well as the tools they use to protect it. Arcserve, an established manufacturer of data protection solutions, describes five developments that will impact how businesses secure and manage their data in 2023 and beyond.

1. the hypothesis of a massive SaaS outage as a wake-up call

Still hypothetical at the moment, but the first major software-as-a-service outage could occur as early as 2023. In this case, it will very quickly become apparent that data backup and recovery are the top priority. Companies around the world are increasingly using software as a service instead of running their own locally installed IT infrastructure. Here's a fictitious example: If a service, say Microsoft 365, had a major outage, what then? Well, many large SaaS providers guarantee the reliability of their service, but not the security of the data. That's the responsibility of the companies, meaning the users. And that's why they need third-party software to survive an outage and protect the data in the long term.

In addition, companies should focus on the 3-2-1-1 strategy (or extended: 3-2-1-1-0 rule) to back up their data. This strategy involves creating three backup copies of the data on two different types of media (e.g., hard disk or tape), with one of these copies stored in a different location for disaster recovery. And the last aspect is Immutable Object Storage. Immutable Object Storage is a next-generation data protection tool that continuously protects data by taking an immutable snapshot every 90 seconds. This guarantees that companies can quickly recover their data even in the event of a major SaaS outage.

2. cost savings will do more harm than good

In view of rising energy prices and extreme inflation, companies will be optimizing costs in 2023. One thing should definitely not happen in the process: Cutting back on data protection. Even as companies review their operating expenses to offset some of the inflation, they must continue to invest in protecting, storing and securing their data.

Data protection may seem like an area where you can easily save some money. But any curtailment of data security will result in higher costs. According to the latest IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2022 Report the average cost of a data breach worldwide is $4.35 million. In 2023, it will be even more important to recognize the importance of data and ensure that any budget cuts have minimal impact on business operations and assurance.

3. companies will have to use their security budgets wisely

It is likely that, despite this, many companies are also cutting back on security measures. Those that do should be aware that this is exactly when cybercriminals strike. Cyber thieves are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit. For this reason, companies should proceed with caution when it comes to cost-cutting measures and examine how they use their budget for data security.

Most companies today invest in basic security technologies such as firewalls, antivirus, and intrusion detection solutions. But they should be aware that cybercriminals will inevitably breach these safeguards at least once. Companies should have a plan for this possibility and allocate their security budget accordingly. For every franc or euro they spend on firewalls or antivirus solutions, businesses should invest another franc on solutions that will help them secure their data and recover from a cyberattack.

4. enterprises need solutions for protecting data at risk from remote work

During the pandemic, most companies adopted remote and hybrid working models. Many will continue these models in 2023 because they know it will benefit them financially while ensuring employees are happier, more engaged and more productive. Many people prefer to work from home rather than commute to the office for a variety of reasons. As a result, companies can, for example, reduce their energy costs if fewer employees are in the office, or they can even reduce their office space.

But they need to be aware that as remote working increases, their data becomes even more fragmented or distributed, increasing their vulnerabilities. As hybrid working becomes more prevalent, organizations in 2023 will need to find simple, cost-effective solutions to effectively secure and protect their data in home office environments without committing additional resources or capital.

5. enterprises using cloud services for data backup and recovery will look for hosting partners that accurately report Scope 3 emissions

In many countries, large companies are required to disclose their CO2 emissions and their contribution to slowing climate change. The problem is that there are no global standards for this disclosure. Companies measure their emissions in different ways, making it difficult to compare performance in this area. In addition, most companies only report on the emissions they produce themselves, such as those produced by heating offices. These are referred to as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and represent only a fraction of total emissions.

Most emissions are attributable to Scope 3. This means that they are generated - today and in the future - by the activities of all actors in a company's value chain. Scope 3 emissions have an enormous scope and are largely not recorded. Thanks to this "blind spot," companies can easily claim that they will be a net-zero company by 2050 because they do not have to report all CO2 emissions from the entire value chain. In 2023, for example, cloud companies will have to accurately report their Scope 3 emissions or face suspicion of greenwashing. And companies that use cloud services for data backup and recovery will look for partners that accurately report their Scope 3 emissions to act as responsible companies.

Conclusion

In today's increasingly fast-paced and unpredictable world, business challenges of all kinds are becoming harder to identify and solve. Data protection is one of them. Companies that face and solve these challenges in 2023 will use innovative tools and strategies to secure their data and, in turn, their business.

Source: Arcserve

Until today, there was no reliable and intelligent technical solution that operates a "real" emergency detection at home and at the same time serves the needs across generations. With the SAFE-living solution, Sedimentum enables seniors to extend the period of their lives in their own homes while providing digital support and relief to family members. The emergency call detectors come completely without wearing a wristband or pressing an emergency button and function without a camera or sound recording. The non-contact emergency call solution automatically summons help not only in the event of a fall, but also for other potential emergencies. This is intended to create a safer living space for residents.

Innovation completely "Swiss Made

"We regularly receive inquiries from our neighboring countries, but also from the U.S. and even Asia," explains CEO and founder Sandro Cilurzo. That's why the startup hopes its product will find favor at CES. "We are very excited to be at CES 2023 in the Swisstech Pavilion and to present our solution to the world," says Cilurzo. The smart home emergency call detectors are developed as well as manufactured in Switzerland and are also ready for international use. Based on sophisticated AI technology and specially developed sensors, the emergency detectors measure movement and send an alarm to Sedimentum's emergency call center in the event of an emergency. The emergency detectors are installed by Sedimentum on the ceiling and work contactless as well as automated, and this without camera or microphone.

With emergency call solution at the Consumer Electronics Show

The startup from Cham is now presenting its emergency call solution, which consists of a contactless emergency detector, an app and an alert to the 24/7 emergency call center, at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The company is participating in the Swisstech Pavilion, organized by Switzerland Global Enterprise in collaboration with EDA Presence Switzerland, Presence Switzerland and Innosuisse. Over the past 50 years, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has established itself as the global showcase for innovations and groundbreaking technologies in the entertainment and electronics industries. This is where tomorrow's innovations meet the market, investors and experts. CES 2023 in Las Vegas is the international stage for well-known brands as well as for emerging start-ups and the meeting point of the tech industry. Sedimentum is therefore one of a handful of select and promising Swiss start-ups that will be allowed to exhibit at CES 2023.

Source: Sedimentum

care4IT.ch ensures that SMEs and organizations with up to 50 computer users on average in the greater Zurich area can run their core business more competitively with modern and up-to-date IT infrastructure. Now the IT company, itself an SME, has launched a ISO 27001 certified Information Security Management System developed. The project lasted two years and involved the entire staff. With a staff of 20 employees, care4IT.ch is a rare exception, as otherwise only medium-sized and large IT companies with 50-100 employees have ISO 27001. When asked about the added value of a complex management system for data protection and data security in an IT service company, Matthias Naber, CTO and co-owner, sums it up dryly: "Actually, every IT service provider needs it"!

High benefit for customers and for care4IT.ch

During the system setup, the entire care4IT.ch team was regularly trained, backup and various protection solutions were designed and implemented, and all the necessary conditions were created to ensure that the intended security standards could be reliably met.

The concrete added value of ISO 27001 in the IT company can be localized in three areas of benefit. First, the certified information security management system supports the "blind" trust and gut feeling of customers with a tested and clearly defined security rating. Secondly, a broad and deep expertise in data and information security and data protection is built up throughout the company, which is automatically reflected in the customer's IT infrastructures and positively influences their quality. And thirdly, an "information security system light" can be built up during the project, as a kind of waste product, which can be used directly by customers as a paid service to create added value.

Competitive position improved

Care4IT.ch has made use of all three benefits. At the same time, the certificate improves Care4IT.ch's competitive position with customers who have more than 100 IT workstations, as these customers often attach above-average importance to certified quality. Last but not least, it strengthens the necessary differentiation of care4IT.ch from its competitors and provides it with a strong marketing tool.

The "all from one source" offer of care4IT.ch includes IT consulting, conception and planning as well as realization of complete IT infrastructure solutions for data, voice and video. The on premise and cloud infrastructures put into operation are monitored by means of real-time monitoring, maintained and replaced if necessary. This 24/7 support with guaranteed response times ensures uninterrupted operation. Thanks to a "flat rate" and a clear price structure, operating costs can be calculated and budgeted at any time.

Source and further information: care4IT.ch GmbH

For IT security awareness in companies, there is no ready-made standard kit that you purchase once, install and update from time to time. IT security must be understood as a process that must be continually adapted to changing conditions. Engineering and technologies (such as AI) help with this. At the end of the IT usage chain, however, is the human being, who carries out his or her activities with the help of computers and devices. And this is where IT security becomes vulnerable. Because the human factor always plays a decisive role when it comes to vulnerabilities.

But how do company managements in Germany, Austria and Switzerland view this? Do they trust their employees to recognize a phishing email that looks deceptively real? Do they surf via the company VPN during their breaks in the home office, thus endangering the company's IT? How high is IT security awareness among the workforce? Sophos wanted to know this, among other things, from senior and higher managers (C-level) in the three German-speaking countries. On behalf of Sophos, the opinion research institute Ipsos surveyed around 200 managers from the retail, services and manufacturing sectors. The survey was graded according to the German system, i.e. the top grade in each case is a 1.

Scores for IT security awareness: German bosses 2, employees 3

Across all industries, German managers attest themselves a very high (35.3 percent) to high (46.3 percent) awareness of IT security. Company size certainly plays a role in self-assessment: in larger companies (200 employees and more), 30.2 percent of managers give themselves a grade of 1, while the figure for smaller companies (50-199 employees) is 37.2 percent. If we compare the sectors, it is particularly the retail sector where 38.7 percent of managers believe they have a very high awareness of IT security.

German managers are somewhat stricter when it comes to assessing their teams: the majority (41.8 percent) only give them a grade of 3 - Satisfactory. The highest marks for employees were awarded by bosses from the service sector (11 percent). Here, too, the size of the company plays a role in the assessment: bosses of up to 199 employees consider the safety awareness of their workforce to be very high, with 10.8 percent. Managers at companies with over 200 employees give the top score to only 5.7 percent of their workforce. They even give the grade 5 to 3.8 percent, while smaller companies only attribute such a low level of IT security awareness to 0.7 percent of their employees.

Managers of large Austrian companies more often give themselves and the workforce a 1

By contrast, the picture is somewhat different in Austria. While, as in Germany, the majority (45.3 percent) also give their staff a 3, the proportion of top marks is higher overall than in Germany: here, 13.2 percent give their teams a straight 1 in the area of cyber awareness. And while in Germany the larger companies have a more critical assessment, in the Alpine republic it is the other way around: 17.6 percent of companies with more than 200 employees give them a 1 or 2 in security awareness.

At 41.5 percent, Austrian managers attest to a very high level of IT security awareness, while 39.6 percent attest to a high level of IT security awareness - better than the self-assessments of German managers. Similar assessment ratios can be seen when looking at company sizes: In large companies, 52.9 percent of managers rate themselves with a 1, while in smaller companies the figure is 36.1 percent.

Swiss managers give themselves a 2, employees a 2-3

The safety awareness of management in Switzerland is rated at the highest average of 45.1 percent with a score of 2. A little more in smaller companies (46.9 percent) and a little less in large companies (42.1 percent). The highest grade is awarded by 39.2 percent of Swiss bosses (47.4 percent in the manufacturing sector). Large companies give themselves a 1 and a 2 with the same rating (42.1 percent each).

35.3 percent of Swiss decision-makers (26.3 percent in large companies, 40.6 percent in smaller ones) rate the safety awareness of their employees as 3 and thus satisfactory. Larger companies give their staff an even 2 (36.8 percent, average 29.4 percent).

Training as the most important additional safety measure

For every second company in Germany, employee training is the most important measure for improving cybersecurity in the company. The majority of companies are aware that people are a critical factor in cybersecurity. When asked what measures the decision-makers in their companies are taking for their cybersecurity, employee training has been in first place for at least two or three years, at 55.7 percent. The manufacturing sector in Germany has been particularly committed to training for several years, at 64.6 percent, while the majority of the retail sector has only been training its teams in this regard for about a year (41.9 percent).

In neighboring Austria, bosses have also been investing in their employees' safety skills for at least two or three years as the most important of their protective measures, at 64.4 percent. In retail, this figure is lowest at 44.4 percent. Around one in five companies has been holding employee training courses for just one year (20.8 percent). Again, there is a stark difference between manufacturing (27.8 percent) and retail (11.1 percent), with retail reporting that 33.3 percent plan to do so.

The Swiss also see workforce training as the most important measure for improving cyber security, with 66.7 percent in first place, and have been doing this for at least two or three years. The Swiss manufacturing sector is well above average here at 84.2 percent, while retail is well below at 37.5 percent and service providers are close to average at 62.5 percent. Company size is not a decisive parameter in Switzerland and deviates only marginally from the average.

Summa Summarum: Satisfactory IT security awareness probably acceptable

Overall and across all three countries, the executives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland attest to a fundamentally positive and responsible approach to IT security on the part of themselves and their teams - although there is still room for improvement. The Austrian example stands out positively, with a more benevolent approach to itself and its employees, while company management continues to maintain awareness with regular training.

The bosses in Germany and Switzerland have a very similar opinion of themselves and their employees. Team training has also been one of the most important security measures for years; Switzerland even records the highest value here, while just like in Germany, it only gives the workforce a satisfactory rating in their IT security awareness. There may be several reasons for this discrepancy between capability attribution and training - perhaps the training is not yet as efficient as hoped, or a longer training phase is needed. Perhaps, after years of training in many cases, a "satisfactory" must be accepted for the time being as sufficient awareness of enterprise IT security - especially in light of increasingly tricky attack tactics such as phishing emails or social engineering. In any case, training is and will remain a very important building block for corporate IT security. Bosses are aware of the vulnerability of people in the system and show commitment to improving it with appropriate measures.

Source: Sophos