Industry experts love to say sport should learn from other sectors and when it comes to cyber, they’ve got both a strong point and a rash of case studies. Thanks to high profile retail hacks, cyber has become the quiet but powerful new hot topic in the world of tech.
The recent hacks at Harrods, M&S and the Co-op made smart C-suites sit up. The disruption was eye-watering. If the same thing hit a major sporting event, it wouldn’t just be costly, it could be catastrophic.
This summer’s flagship sports events run on digital DNA: ticketing systems, travel schedules, timing tech, performance data. One breach and it’s not a case of your online shopping habit being curbed, it’s gates that don’t open, fan data maliciously hacked and athlete results that can’t be trusted.
For Suits, it’s simple: a ticketing meltdown leaving thousands locked out, poor TV optics of empty venues, worse still, crowd crushes outside. Additionally, leaked customer data becomes tabloid fodder and broadcast outages leave sponsors fuming. On top of that, you have a reputation crisis to face.
For Tracksuits, hacked wearables and corrupted analytics may not be as personally dangerous as a low tackle but imagine your rival getting hold of your recovery metrics, game plan or, worse, interfering with officiating systems to tilt a result. Whilst this might be a longer shot, who wants to see match-fixing with malware as the match-winner.
For Labcoats, stolen IP (intellectual property) and unreliable datasets are the digital equivalent of losing the keys to your lab. One corrupt file, and years of R&D vanish. It’s a breach that is costly and heartbreaking.
For Wallets, all investors have an eye on ‘a single point of failure’ and it’s impact on their ROI. Wise ones check in on the degree to which a cyber risk has been negated and it’s a wiser brand that already has this covered.
This isn’t about hackers in hoodies playing Grand Theft Auto with your network. It’s about keeping the lights on, gates open and data sacred. Treating cyber security as optional is like starting a fire in your house to test the smoke alarm; reckless, unnecessary and bound to end in tears.
Sport’s digital transformation is exciting, until someone forgets to lock the door. If your team is storing passwords in digital folders marked ‘passwords’ then you might need a rethink on your digital plans. Hackers are professional, informed, smart and motivated. Make sure your team is too.
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