With technology becoming ever more sophisticated and offering both enhanced opportunities and new vulnerabilities and threats, there is a danger that organizations of every different type leave themselves open to malicious attack or data breaches on a massive scale. Risk management, therefore, is just as vital in cyberspace as it is in the physical world. But what are these cyber-risks? How can International Standards help mitigate them? And is it really the case that the only answer is even more sophisticated technology?

In 2018, ISO, together with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), published ISO/IEC 30141, the world’s first harmonizing, standard reference-architecture for the Internet of Things (IoT) – the complex assemblage of billions of smart devices connected through the Internet. Applying the standard will make the IoT more effective, safer, resilient and much more secure.

Data, and the cloud that hosts it, has an almost infinite value for businesses that know how to process it – as long as the proper strategy is in place to unleash its potential. Orange Business Services helps customers turn their data into a true business asset, thanks to a little assistance from ISO/IEC’s IT service management standard.

Industry experts estimate that annual losses from cybercrime could rise to USD 2 trillion by next year. With countless new targets added every day, especially mobile devices and connected “things”, a joined-up approach is essential.