Maui Teaches Us Why We Need to Change Our Data Protection Strategies

Spending Christmas week in Maui this year reminded me of the lasting impact disasters have long after the event itself. Months after the Lahaina fires on the Maui South coast, far from Lahaina, we met many people who had either lost property themselves or had family members still trying to piece their lives back together. As resolute, resilient, and fiercely independent as the people of Hawaii are, it was easy to see the toll on businesses and people alike.

Disasters are rising, and more businesses today must be prepared for disasters than they were a decade ago. Climate disasters are becoming more frequent and more potent. The year 2023 had more billion-dollar-plus climate disasters than any other year, costing the US alone an estimated eighty-one billion dollars. Man-made disasters like cyberattacks from ransomware are also becoming more sophisticated, brazen, and routine.

Add to this aging infrastructure that is more prone to failure, such as the downed power lines that are a suspected cause of the Maui fires. There is also greater political uncertainty in many parts of the world today, with more wars erupting and lasting longer than a decade ago and a record number of governments in potential upheaval. In 2024, more than half the world's population -- 4.2 billion citizens across approximately 65 countries- will go to the polls, according to Time.

This led me to realize that while the threat and risk of disasters are growing rapidly, our data protection schemes have barely evolved.

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