5 minutes with Haroen Zuidam

We recently had a chat with Haroen Zuidam, Cyber Threat Analyst and Global Security Advisor for Global Security Heineken, to get his perspective on how security leaders can manage the next phase of the pandemic and what they should focus on in the near future.

1. What do you think should be the topic focus for security managers in this transition phase over the next 18 months?

   The current pandemic has accelerated some of the changes needed in the business, and it has shown us how we need to adapt and improvise. I think that for the coming months we should focus on not only getting back to business as usual but also on exploring and promoting new ways of working. During the pandemic we, as security professionals, were confronted with physical, health and cyber challenges. So we needed to provide guardrails for a safe work environment. We managed to find our way through this crisis, but now it is a perfect time to sit down with all relevant functions and come up with a future-proof “safe” work environment for our employees. Regardless if they are working from home, the office or during travel.

2. Has your team made any changes to how they were operating during the past year, that you will continue into the future?

   I think one significant change which we experienced is the flexibility in terms of remote work. We all used to come into the office five days a week and spend hours on meetings. In the beginning, we did the same thing using MS Teams. Now we keep it short and meet outside in person for coffee or a walk in the park to discuss a project. I think we are now more effective and we made virtual work! Travel changed, audits are done virtually, and yes, I agree that being on-site is much better, but we do not need to do it every time. We have the option to spread costs and time and be more effective.

3. What new skills and knowledge do you think security managers should focus on developing to be more effective and meet future needs?

   We need to step up our game and meet the current cyber challenges. We cannot simply look away or assume the smart IT guy at the office will sort it out. We need to educate ourselves on the current threats. What are the trends, and what does it mean for our business? Invite your cybersecurity specialist, let him explain, collaborate! Physical and cyber domains do not exist for threat actors. It can be anyone from anywhere and they will use anything they can to get your data. Further, it is a good idea to discuss why we are collecting this data and reflect if we really need it.

4. If you could have any superhero power, what power would you choose and why?

   The first choice would be the ability to fly. But as for something more practical, it would be the ability to connect to any device, read it and control it. So I could use it to connect to all computers and solve some of the significant challenges we face as a society.

5. Do you prefer cats or dogs?

   I like both! Cats are smart and a great company, dogs are always happy to see you.