On the Internet, nobody really knows who you are. Digital identity has been an afterthought. Today this is one of the biggest weaknesses in terms of cybersecurity and long-term sustainability of the digital economy. However, things are changing, and fast. This is an area that needs to be understood much better.  

Let’s begin by clarifying the definitions of personal data.

Identification: the process of identifying an individual

Authentication: the methods used to re-identify and validate individual identities either by what they have (eg SIM, phone, cookie), what they know (eg password or pin) or who they are (eg biometrics)

Verification: the steps taken to corroborate information provided by the individual by accessing trusted data sources and services (eg data brokers, aggregators, telcos)

ARE OUR IDENTITIES SECURE?

The security of personal data and identity is now a major concern for consumers. Each year, the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) surveys the level of trust in the ecosystem, and 2021 data revealed a clear gap between the level of expectations from consumers versus real experience. The gap for mobile apps and services keeping data secure (versus the expectation) is 27 percentage points; the gap for privacy is 28 percentage points. This size of gap usually indicates a breaking point in the level of trust between users and a product. In short, the situation looks serious.

After scandals such as phishing or account take-overs, consumers are worried. From the 2021 MEF Survey, the top user concerns are:

• Being defrauded / losing money – 49%
• Cybercriminals gaining access to my data – 49%
• Someone gaining access to my mobile – 47%
• My online activity being monitored – 43%
• Losing data from my device – 41%
• Companies sharing or selling my data – 39%
• Spam / junk email – 37%
• Companies experiencing a data breach – 33%

Interestingly, None of the above scores just 6%.

Concerns over Personal Data Security and Privacy is now a reason to delete an app (37%), avoid installing one (33%) or stop using a service altogether (29%). The level of authentication/security is an element with clear impact to consumer preferences.

ONLINE THREATS

In 2015, global fraud amounted to $3trillion dollars. By 2025, the figure will be $10.5trillion from fraud and cybercrime. The implication is that identity and access management to enterprise systems is becoming increasingly critical.

Globally, we are seeing a pronounced move towards an increasing reliance on digital identity and a clear move away from a distinctly unexceptional user experience and inadequate underlying security. Industry is having to develop new solutions that (a) meet the evolving needs of the user experience and (b) work to mitigate the threats.

Online threats are becoming more intense, as is the inevitable fraud that drives these threats. Globally, 59% of enterprises surveyed in 2021 by MEF cited security and fraud prevention as the key driver for digital identity and authentication. The solutions becoming available seek to tackle some of the major issues we are currently seeing:

• Device compromisation – where a hostile party can take control of a device remotely
• Smishing – when fraudsters attempt to elicit sensitive personal data, passwords, or banking details through SMS (the most common ways to authenticate globally)
• SIM (Subscriber Identity Modules) swapping: where a mobile phone identity is swapped with the intention of taking over an account in order to impersonate the user (e.g. making calls, receiving authorisation codes etc.)

MODELS FOR PERSONAL DATA AND IDENTITY

So, what are the models for personal data and identity? This is a critical question to ask. We need to analyse the ‘architecture’ of personal data/identity. The differences among these models implies different applications and threats. We can identify three architectures that are developing and succeeding across the globe that link the individual’s attributes to databases. Interestingly, biometrics are the common thread across all these architectures:

Centralised model – often operated by a government or consortium of financial institutions. In this model, an individual’s information is handled on a centralised database from cradle to grave and has the effect of offering a simplified means of establishing digital identity for a range of services. An example of this approach is Singapore’s SingPass.

Federated model – operating with a series of distributed databases that represent different groupings and where parties can access personal data in one of those databases. The European eIDAS system is an example of one federated approach where trusted service providers can issue and deliver digital signatures and identity. Countries adopting this model include Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy

Self-sovereign identity model – which has no centralised database where the individual owns, manages, controls, and issues their personal data.

Each of these models needs to ensure that the digital identity provided by a trusted service provider has strong authentication. In practice, we are starting to see the emergence of a new model based on these three models. This could be considered as the establishment of digital credentials. An example of this would be an individual’s Covid status. This would allow a person to obtain their signed and verified health credentials which would then be trusted for access to venues or travel.

Clearly, there are issues around maintaining an individual’s privacy and how authentication fits into the process. Standards are developing that can provide further reassurance. Furthermore, there is the issue of regulation, how liability is distributed in this model of verifiable credentials, and how data is controlled and handled under regulatory requirements such as GDPR.

THE FUTURE

The ecosystem is fighting back from the threats of cyberattacks and we will see more of these innovative solutions emerge. There might not be an overall winner, but the co-existence of alternative approaches is now expected.

The good news is that the effort required to maintain security and reduce fraud will be significantly lessened by these technologies. This is because they will replace or enhance inadequate access control and authentication. Organisations and governments need this enhanced measure of multi-factor authentication to progress in the coming years. And individuals need the knowledge that their data is safe and that they can exercise trust in the integrity of it.

The global economy needs solutions to the developing issues that personal identity and authentication present. There are three major pillars to these solutions:

• the role of the individual
• establishing trust with organisations
• handling the online experience.

To review or define an internal solution we should cover these three essential points. Covid has had a major impact on the way we live our lives and the ability to conduct in-person transactions has been transformed. Individuals are forced to navigate a remote and brutal online environment whilst establishing their identity. They are subject to ransomware and continual threats. This transformation is fast-paced and is requiring a strong degree of trust with sharing personal data with organisations and authorities. Clearly, there are inherent risks with online interactions and the sharing of personal data and the traditional ways of handling these are no longer fit for purpose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dario Betti is CEO of MEF (Mobile Ecosystem Forum) a global trade body established in 2000 and headquartered in the UK with members across the world. As the voice of the mobile ecosystem, it focuses on cross-industry best practices, anti-fraud and monetisation. The Forum provides its members with global and cross-sector platforms for networking, collaboration and advancing industry solutions.  

Web: https://mobileecosystemforum.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mef

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mobile-ecosystem-forum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MobileEcosystemForum/

Across Africa low government spending on health has led to familiar tales of poor infrastructure and medical facilities, delayed treatments, misdiagnosed conditions and mismanagement, leading to a growing number of preventable deaths.

Growing up in Nigeria, I saw the serious implications of the health crisis firsthand. Patients usually have to travel long distances and wait several days for often mediocre healthcare, which can cost a family’s entire budget. My mother had a decade-long battle with accessing care. Today she still suffers from the effects of misdiagnosed conditions and poorly administered procedures.

Africa faces a disease burden that is unmatched globally, with 25% of the world’s disease cases occurring in the continent. And some diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are projected to rise significantly.

However, UK companies are helping to improve several different healthcare sectors in Africa, which is leading to a reduction in the rate of morbidity and mortality. The World Bank is asking the private sector to improve services and help save lives by introducing first-class healthcare into Africa, which is giving UK, and other international businesses a huge opportunity to scale internationally and bolster African healthcare.

UK companies are taking action and making a difference to the African healthcare.  Let’s look at the issues they are tackling in more detail

Pharmaceutical Industry

Africa’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, increasing from US$4.7 billion in 2003 to US$20.8 billion in 2013. The demand for over-the-counter medicines, medical devices and prescription medications is projected to grow between 6% and 11% over the next five years.

In spite of the growth forecast, the industry faces several challenges that will stifle its growth.

1.Counterfeit medication
A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that 1-in-10 (10%) medications in circulation in Africa is substandard. This means people are being treated with medications that fail to treat or prevent a disease. This is causing serious illness and even death. It is estimated that fake anti-malarials, for example, contribute to 116,000 additional deaths a year from malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

2.Staff shortages
There is lack of experts to conduct clinical research and develop novel medicines to tackle the growing disease burden on the continent. A contributory factor is the enormous brain drain of specialists to developed economies, leaving behind an industry overloaded with newly qualified professionals with little or no clinical research experience.

3.Regulation
The regulation of Africa’s pharmaceutical marketplace and development of new medicines is far from standardised. This means the industry’s fragmented supply chain is rife with substandard drugs.

UK pharmaceutical companies are expanding their operations to Africa, to help deal with some of the aforementioned problems and also combat a range of infectious and non-communicable diseases plaguing the continent.
One of such is Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd is an award-winning innovator and manufacturer of high-quality generic and branded medicines, as well as healthcare products, to the UK and international export markets.

It has set-up local manufacturing facilities in Africa to ensure the supply of cost-effective quality medicines is improved and maintained to hospitals and pharmacies.

Diagnostics Sector

Diagnostics services, either through pathology in laboratories, or imaging like scanning, ultrasound and radiology, play a vital role in spotting health problems and informing medical interventions. They are also critical in identifying changing disease patterns that come about from changes in lifestyle, migration and population growth. These patterns often result in viral, bacterial and parasitic infections emerging in countries where they were rarely seen before.

Early diagnosis can increase the chances of a positive outcome, helping to improve the lives of patients and save costs of further treatment. Additionally, diagnostics also play a vital role in patients’ ongoing care programs.

In sub-Saharan Africa, around 12 million people die every year and, for the majority of individuals, the causes of death are largely un-investigated. These un-investigated deaths are generally attributed to infectious diseases, most commonly HIV infection, malaria, and tuberculosis, but, in the absence of laboratory confirmation, the accuracy of these estimates remains uncertain.

Laboratories lack cutting-edge equipment and expertise. As a result, they cannot keep up with diagnostic demands and fall short of accurate diagnosis and early treatment. Access to reliable diagnostic testing is severely limited in the continent, and misdiagnosis is common.

In Nigeria, the accuracy of clinical diagnoses of typhoid fever, when compared with laboratory culture confirmation, was around 50%, and the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis was overlooked in 24% of Kenyan children when a clinical syndromic approach was applied alone. The presumptive diagnosis of tuberculosis can also be nonspecific. One study found evidence of tuberculosis infection in only 52% of 229 patients with suspected tuberculosis in Botswana.

In many cases in sub-Saharan Africa, it appears that diagnosis based on clinical symptoms alone, without the support of basic diagnostic tests, is the rule rather than the exception and leads to inappropriate treatment, increased morbidity, and unnecessary loss of life.

A UK business blazing the trail in diagnostics is Randox.

A global leader within the in-vitro diagnostics industry, Randox Laboratories develops diagnostic solutions for hospitals, clinical, research and molecular labs, food testing, forensic toxicology, veterinary labs and life sciences. They have a laboratory in Africa and help doctors get accurate diagnoses for their patients.

Primary Healthcare
Access to quality healthcare in Africa is a major problem; a recent study by Gallop concluded that 57% of the population have poor or no access to patient-first, quality care.

People in sub-Saharan Africa have the worst health, on average, in the world. With less than 1% of global health expenditure and only 3% of the world’s health workers.

Africa accounts for almost half the world’s deaths of children under five, has the highest maternal mortality rate, and bears a heavy toll from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

The region lacks the infrastructure to provide basic health care to many of its people and the absence of preventive and primary care significantly contributes to the problem.

Horrifying accounts of deferred treatments, in-accurate diagnosis of patients conditions, and wrongly administered surgeries has led to patients losing confidence in the healthcare system and seeking advanced health care solution abroad.

The outbound African medical tourism market is experiencing exponential growth with over 650,00 patients going abroad for treatment in 2015; generating a market value of $3.8bn.

A UK company that aims to make a difference in the primary health care delivery system is Medics2You.

Medics2You gives patients control of their health by providing immediate access to world-class doctors and specialist, via a smart device, anytime, anywhere, to deliver quality patient-centred care with measurable outcomes.

They are pioneering the delivery of a hybrid telehealth care service by setting up local tech-enabled hubs; an extension of their mobile platform, to provide consultations, investigations and pharmacy services.

The World Bank is challenging the private sector step up and help save lives. UK companies are using their expertise and technical knowhow to find innovative way to make a difference, reduce the healthcare crisis and provide the improved health that Africans need.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Etukumoh is the founder of Medics2You, a ‘tech for good’ business that aims to transform the way African patients access cutting-edge primary care, save lives, and improve the life expectancy of millions.

Having grown-up in Nigeria, Etukumoh has personally witnesses the serious implications of inadequate healthcare.

Medics2You uses a hybrid telehealth platform to connect patients in Africa with world class doctors and specialists, deliver medication to patient’s doors, and provide referrals to local and international accredited specialists and hospitals.

Web: www.medics2you.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/medics2you/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/medics2you

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medics2you/

Crowdcube: https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/medics2you-limited/pitches/qYW1EZ

References

https://qz.com/africa/550417/africans-need-to-make-their-mark-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry-boom/

https://www.escardio.org/Journals/E-Journal-of-Cardiology-Practice/Volume-15/Non-communicable-diseases-a-growing-threat-to-global-health .

https://www.escardio.org/Journals/E-Journal-of-Cardiology-Practice/Volume-15/Non-communicable-diseases-a-growing-threat-to-global-health

https://www.escardio.org/Journals/E-Journal-of-Cardiology-Practice/Volume-15/Non-communicable-diseases-a-growing-threat-to-global-health

https://morningsidepharm.com/ .

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-11-2017-1-in-10-medical-products-in-developing-countries-is-substandard-or-falsified

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/42/3/377/378561

https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2018/07/the-healthcare-diagnostics-value-game.pdf

https://theconversation.com/how-africas-poor-laboratory-services-are-hampering-disease-control-60936

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What will happen if you have a critical failure and lose some, or all, of your business data?

All the invoicing data, Excel spreadsheets, CAD documents, images and more.

Recovering individual documents, such as a Microsoft Word file, when your PC crashes is much easier than it used to be, with the advent of functions such as Autorecover[1]. Other software applications have similar functionality, such as Autosave within Photoshop[2]. But these won’t recover large numbers of documents in the event of, for example an office fire or backup failure.

Let’s briefly review why having a secure backup solution is needed, then look at your backup options.

The necessity of effective backup

Recent research by Beaming suggests that over 4 million[3] of the UK’s 5.5 million businesses risk losing critical data through poor backup provision. With data suggesting that 70% of small businesses, which experience a major data loss, go out of business within 12 months[4]. You shouldn’t need any additional reasons, but let’s throw in two more…

Microsoft Office 365 is not backed up in any way. If, like over 120 million businesses around the world, you use Office 365 for your day to day computing needs, you need to protect the information you have and the data/documents you have created. Whilst Autorecover will help you restore a document you were working on, it cannot restore something that was deleted, whether deliberately or accidentally, from your account.

Insurance companies expect you to have cloud backups, for all cyber-security policies and for many business policies, dependent upon the cover selected, of course.

Business backup options

Let’s look at basic back up option and the more sophisticated options available plus their pros and cons.

1. External hard drives

Normally used by single person businesses to provide a backup solution. This is a really basic solution and something we never recommend as a complete solution.

• Hard drives are a physical device and can fail, leaving you with no way of recovering the data
• As hard drives get smaller and smaller, they are easy to lose
• They aren’t always connected to your devices, so you have to remember to manually backup each time
• They are often kept in the same location as the device they are backing up.  If that device is stolen, lost, burnt or broken, so is the hard drive.

A hard drive does mean you can instantly restore, but the downsides to this option make it a bad idea. With solution providers such as VEEAM[5] providing SME backup solutions for as little as £25 per month, it makes sense to use more than just a hard drive.

• On-premise Solutions

As businesses grow and develop an on-premise server network, the obvious solution is to have an on-premise back-up solution, usually based around network attached storage (NAS) devices. Solutions such as Microsoft System Center[6] will provide everything you need to build an on-premise solution. There are, of course, pros and cons to this as well…

Recovery times can be quicker than using a cloud solution when a document is identified as missing or corrupted, but it depends on when the last back up was taken. We recommend that multiple retentions take place each day to maximise the opportunity to restore the right information.

Some on-premise solutions provide you with the option, in the event of a major failure, to build a cloud-based server, with your data, but you have to budget accordingly if you want this level of failover capability.

Having your backup, either the actual data or the ability to restore, in the same location as the original versions is rarely a good option. What happens if:

• There is a fire in your office?
• There is an incident that means you are unable to get into your office to work?
• There is a burglary?

If you are still taking hard drives (or even tapes) off-site each day to mitigate this risk, they can still be lost or stolen. Don’t forget that taking these off-site is highly likely to breach your GDPR commitments.

• Cloud-based backup

Backing up your data to a cloud provider delivers far more benefits than issues.

Although you are highly likely to be paying on a per Gb basis for this solution and that may add up to a higher cost than an on-premise solution, the benefits, and convenience, outweigh the costs…

• Never having to worry about upgrading/replacing storage hardware
• Being able to keep multiple copies of your data for prolonged periods of time
• Knowing the data is being replicated to further protect your business
• Having the ability to restore that data to wherever you need it to be
• Knowing the security around it is far higher than your budgets would normally allow
• Never having to remember to back up.

All the major players provide a cloud solution, from Microsoft Azure[7] to Veeam[8], so there is plenty to choose from. Whatever solution you choose, there is one thing you need to do on a regular basis to ensure your business really is protected: check your backups. An absolute worst-case scenario would be you get to a situation where you need to restore data, only to find that it isn’t there. Most cloud providers provide you with regular reports on the success, or otherwise, of your backup and may give you reports on a more granular level, showing what machines are missing and how much data.

Your internet connection

Getting your data into the cloud regularly throughout the day will use a fair amount of your available bandwidth. If you are still relying on ADSL connections, your backup is going to take a very long time. Even the incremental backups (taken after a main data upload) will take time.  For this reason, we recommend you invest in, at least, a fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) solution. The faster data speeds, both up and down, will mean your backups can occur when you need them and they won’t slow down other uses of that connection in the meantime. If FTTC isn’t available in your area (although >90% of UK premises are now covered), you may have to look at fewer data sets. One backup a day, scheduled overnight is an option, but not recommended.

You’ll need to judge the level of investment to be made in the backup solution for your business.  As outlined a range of options is available to you.  Make sure you have something in place so your business can safely backup and restore data if problems occur.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Ianiri is from Redsquid, one of the UK’s leading independent providers of business Voice, Data, ICT, Cyber Security and IoT Solutions.  Redsquid is not tied to a single supplier but rather helps clients boost productivity, reduce costs, and protect and grow their business by creating bespoke solutions from the best technology available in the marketplace.

Web: www.redsquid.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redsquidcomms/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/redsquidcomms

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/redsquid

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[1] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/word/recover-lost-document

[2] https://hetmanrecovery.com/recovery_news/recovery-adobe-photoshop-files-psd.htm

[3] https://www.beaming.co.uk/press-releases/four-million-uk-businesses-vulnerable-losing-company-data-research-shows/

[4] https://www.backupvault.co.uk/blog/over-50-of-uk-businesses-are-risking-their-data

[5] https://www.veeam.com/smb-vmware-hyper-v-essentials.html

[6] https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/cloud-platform/system-center-solutions

[7] https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/services/backup/

[8] https://www.veeam.com/cloud-connect.html

With updates to mobile operating systems landing yearly, businesses can be forgiven for not keeping up with the full roster of features available. For many, the announcement of a new OS is generally met with indifference, and the release is greeted by the irritation of a 15 minute download.

Android Pie was initially released on the 6th of August, and has since been making the rounds of all major Android mobile manufacturers. iOS 12 is a newer addition, having a launch date of the 17th September. But what do these releases mean for businesses, and why should anyone care?

Four Key iOS 12 Features

iOS 12 was released just ahead of the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, in order to give Apple’s flagship mobiles the latest and greatest operating system from launch. For any businesses that wish to take advantage of iOS 12’s main new components, the following three key features will ensure that performance is optimised.

1. It’s All About the Speed

Launch times of applications and the devices themselves have been reduced, and in some cases halved. Apple hardware, utilising iOS 12, is more capable of handling heavy usage, and battery life has been enhanced due to the inclusion of power saving improvements. Faster loading times and longer battery life means businesses will benefit from a more reactive staff. Time saved on load times means more time spent on projects or client relations.

2. Grouped Notifications

In almost all industries, communication is a key component in achieving success. Device notifications are crucial in relaying important information from a variety of sources quickly, concisely, and centrally. iOS 12 brings even more value to notifications, as notifications are now sorted by app for swift reference. If a user wants to check Calendar-only notifications, they can do that by selecting the Calendar group of notifications on their lock screen – this saves time by preventing endless scrolling through a plethora of notifications from a large variety of applications.

3. Enhanced Voice Memos

Voice Memos has been a staple iOS app for some time, but iOS 12 brings some enhancements; the app has been redesigned to improve usability, and it is also available on iPad for the first time. iCloud synching means that voice memos will be available across all of a user’s devices, so those verbal notes will never be lost. A handy app for anyone who enjoys recording conferences for later reference, or finds dictation machines useful.

4. Group FaceTime

FaceTime is Apple’s famed proprietary video-telephony product, but its greatest drawback has been its one-to-one restriction. iOS 12 brings some much needed functionality to the classic app by allowing up to 32 users to share the same FaceTime. It’s now the perfect tool for remote video conferencing, whether users are on a Mac or on their iPhone.

Four Key Android Pie Features

Android Pie has been officially out in the open since the 6th August, first releasing on Googler’s Pixel range. Since then, almost all major Android devices have received the update, and can take advantage of its impressive array of updates.

1. Do Not Disturb Improvements

Android Pie has refined the Do Not Disturb function to account for this in a workplace environment – rather than enabling Do Not Disturb function to prevent all incoming calls and notifications, users can now whitelist key contacts so that they are still able to answer quickly and promptly. This is definitely worth using as one of the largest distractions in the workplace can be an endless stream of notifications that are simply not necessary.

2. Screenshot Improvements

Grabbing screenshots of interesting articles or images is a useful tool, especially when you want to share the information with others quickly but don’t want to fire a full 1000 word essay to your colleagues. Android Pie allows users to take a screenshot quickly by holding down the power button and then using the shortcut that appears. Even more useful is the quick-edit ability that allows users to crop the screenshot to the correct size.

3. Adaptive Battery

Battery saving is useful for everyone, and keeping a phone alive can be the difference between phoning a key client or missing the conversation that can close a deal. Android Pie now recognises which apps are used the most, and diverts power to those chosen few. Apps that are used less often will receive only a limited amount of power, meaning a prolonged battery life.

4. Improved Security

Android Pie has enhanced the security offering by introducing a lockdown mode that locks the device, prevents the use of fingerprint scanning, and hides all notifications that appear on the lock screen. Instead of biometrics, users will be forced to use their passcode to gain access to the device. For anyone using their phone for work purposes, keeping a high level of security is a must.

While there are many new features on offer in both iOS 12 and Android Pie, there is always room for improvement. What new features would you like to see that will help your business?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Main is Managing Director of The Distance, an app development company.  Anthony has been developing apps since the first iPhone, and with his UK based team of digital natives, The Distance delivers intuitive mobile solutions for clients on both iOS and Android. From disruptive start-ups to global enterprises, including NHS, Bentley Motors, Virgin Trains, PGA Golf, Slimming World, and Astra Zeneca, The Distance supports solutions developed to meet all app based-challenges.

Web: https://thedistance.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedistancehq

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedistancehq

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-distance/