Column Saskia Stender: Is your back door open?

We do a lot of automating in the food industry. Robots take over the mind-numbing work, and machines talk to each other. AI takes it a step further. It makes processes faster, smarter, and often more efficient.

But the more we connect, the more entry points we create. The back door is left open more often to unwanted visitors. And I mean digitally, not physically. I often hear: it won’t come to that. My business is too small and of no interest to anyone. But the days of a person sitting behind a keyboard picking a company to hack are over. With AI, attackers can strike much more widely and quickly. And suddenly, your small or medium-sized business is on their radar.

What happens if your business is brought to a standstill? How quickly can you get back up and running? Can the production lines be started manually? Is the refrigeration still running, and can orders go out? Without systems, even something simple suddenly becomes complicated. Do you actually have a plan for that? And what about your customers? They don’t want to hear that you can’t produce. They want fully stocked shelves. Otherwise, they’ll go elsewhere.

Your cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important. The new Dutch Cybersecurity Act helps with that. It affects you too, even if your business doesn’t fall directly under the law. Smaller suppliers are also increasingly being asked about their cybersecurity. That’s hardly surprising, really. A major customer wants to know who’s entering their factory. It makes sense for them to expect the same in the digital world.

If you can’t demonstrate that your business is cybersecure and the company next door can, it could easily cost you a contract. So stop thinking, “It won’t happen to me,” and start taking action. Keep that back door closed.

Saskia Stender
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