On 1 May 2020, Global Guardian hosted a COVID-19 special webinar, featuring our own Dale Buckner, Chief Executive Officer; Mike Ballard, Director of Intelligence; Jeffery Stutzman, Chief Information Security Officer; and Dr. Christopher N. White, Assistant Medical Director.
Watch the recording today, and read on for our top 10 takeaways from the conversation and the Q&A that followed, moderated by Mike McGarrity, Vice President, Global Risk Services.
- This crisis—and the response to it—is similar to past crises in US history. The US has been through crises from smallpox and the AIDS epidemic to WWII and 9/11. Government’s responses to crises are imperfect and prompt resistance. Buckner noted that after 9/11 the passage of the Patriot Act and the creation of the Transport Security Administration (TSA) were strongly opposed by some Americans. Now, as then, “The government has responded, and it is not perfect. This is a sledgehammer—not a precision tool, and there are going to be people caught in the middle. And it will be good for most and bad for others,” Buckner said. The recent protests against lockdown measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 reflect such pushback among those concerned.
- Approach the COVID-19 crisis like other protection and security challenges. “You must look at these threats from COVID-19 against your people, infrastructure, and communications. You must have integrated strategy in order to mitigate these threats along these three vectors,” McGarrity said.
- We are in crisis management mode. Some of the early bravado language about “defeating the virus” has subsided. As Ballard points out, “It’s not really practical or plausible. It’s more about how to live with it, how we manage it in our society.” We should prepare for three to six more months of remote work and social distancing measures such as limiting the number of people shopping at a store. Until then, mass temperature screenings on public transportation and other safety measures will be part of our “cultural” adaptation. Expect for “No mask” to be added to the “No shoes. No shirt. No service” signs. Returning to normal will require following countries such as South Korea in scaling and mastering testing, process tracing, and quarantine.
- The mass transition to remote work has exacerbated cybersecurity problems. Malign actors are preying on people’s COVID-19 anxieties, deploying malware through phishing emails and straining companies’ cybersecurity systems. The FBI estimates that, on average, a ransom event costs a company $50,000. Although more people are working from home, they are missing the usual security protections provided by the workplace. “The longer this goes, the more we are going to see the security fabric of companies have to be extended into the home,” Stutzman said. This means using hardware-based VPNs, covering employees’ homes as part of a company’s network, and making sure that users submit suspicious emails automatically for analysis.
- Watch out for the breakdown in the social fabric as economic conditions deteriorate. More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Crimes of desperation are a serious concern, as jobs and safety net continue to disappear for so many. There are already troubling signs. Although violent crime is down nationwide, there has been an uptick in child and spousal abuse and, more recently, car theft. In New York City, one of the epicenters of COVID-19, there has been a 12 percent uptick in serious crime such as robberies and assault.
- Each company should appoint a high-powered COVID-19 czar/coordinator. As White explained, this person “should be charged with staying current on all the evolving practices” and “monitoring for internal as well as external signals of the current surges.” She or he should have a background in risk management and be comfortable with interpreting and synthesizing medical data and communicating in a clear manner to colleagues. As importantly, Buckner added, it is key that this person have sufficient “political clout within the organization” to “speak truth to power.”
- Corporate leaders must put in place the policies that allow for the safe and orderly return of their workforce and address long-term challenges. There are a myriad of issues to be considered, such as setting up COVID-19 mobile testing facilities away from the office (for both safety and optics), instituting screening protocols such as no-touch temperature checks, installing sanitizer stations, enhancing cleaning controls, and figuring a staggered return to the office—such as having only 40 percent of the workforce in the office at any one time. Uncomfortable conversations about employees’ health histories to identify and protect those most vulnerable to COVID-19 and about digital privacy as organizations consider technological solutions to help ensure social distancing will need to be had. Company teleworking and quarantine policies should be developed and communicated. Both companies and individuals must chart out best-, base-, and worst-case scenarios. As Buckner put it, “Do not wait for one person in your leadership in your C-suite to start getting to the next phase.”
- Countries of concern and the second wave of COVID-19. Even as Asian and European countries are reopening and the US has flattened the curve, COVID-19 cases are soaring in countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia. This rise in cases is especially troubling because these countries lack the healthcare infrastructure and funding to mount a whole scale response. In Brazil, an additional problem is that the country is heading into its winter and, hence, flu season. Asian countries are preparing for the second wave of COVID-19, a concern that should preoccupy all countries.
- Countries will vary about when they open their borders to global travelers, and Americans should anticipate travel restrictions. The EU is formulating its guidance for summer travel, but even there the re-opening of borders is complicated because the various EU members hit their peak of infection at different times. Countries that have had successfully contained the virus, such as South Korea, Taiwan, and New Zealand will understandably seek to preserve their gains and may not allow foreign nationals in. In fact, New Zealand may institute a total border shutdown until there is a vaccine. Even once travel restrictions are loosened in Asia and Europe, US travelers may find themselves in an unfamiliar spot a long-privileged international travelers: being banned if there is still a high number of cases in the US.
- Americans will get back to the old normal—and forget. “My gut tells me that the minute we have vaccinated the world, and we feel have this under control—like Ebola and terrorism—we are going to go back to the way we lived prior to this,” Buckner said. The challenge for corporate leaders is not to forget, absorb the lessons learned, and be prepared for the inevitable next pandemic.
