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Cybersecurity and data privacy are constantly in the news. Governments are passing new cybersecurity laws. Companies are investing in cybersecurity controls such as firewalls, encryption, and awareness training at record levels. And yet, people are losing ground on data privacy. In 2024, the Identity Theft Resource Center reported that companies sent out 1.3 billion notifications to the victims of data breaches. Thats more than triple the notices sent out the year before. Its clear that despite growing efforts, personal data breaches are not only continuing, but accelerating. What can you do about this situation? Many people think of the cybersecurity issue as a technical problem. Theyre right: Technical controls are an important part of protecting personal information, but they are not enough. As a professor of information technology, analytics, and operations at the University of Notre Dame, I study ways to protect personal privacy. Solid personal privacy protection is made up of three pillars: accessible technical controls, public awareness of the need for privacy, and public policies that prioritize personal privacy. Each plays a crucial role in protecting personal privacy. A weakness in any one puts the entire system at risk. The first line of defense Technology is the first line of defense, guarding access to computers that store data and encrypting information as it travels between computers to keep intruders from gaining access. But even the best security tools can fail when misused, misconfigured, or ignored. Two technical controls are especially important: encryption and multifactor authentication (MFA). These are the backbone of digital privacyand they work best when widely adopted and properly implemented. Encryption uses complex math to put sensitive data in an unreadable format that can only be unlocked with the right key. For example, your web browser uses HTTPS encryption to protect your information when you visit a secure webpage. This prevents anyone on your networkor any network between you and the websitefrom eavesdropping on your communications. Today, nearly all web traffic is encrypted in this way. But if were so good at encrypting data on networks, why are we still suffering all of these data breaches? The reality is that encrypting data in transit is only part of the challenge. Securing stored data We also need to protect data wherever its storedon phones, laptops, and the servers that make up cloud storage. Unfortunately, this is where security often falls short. Encrypting stored data, or data at rest, isnt as widespread as encrypting data that is moving from one place to another. While modern smartphones typically encrypt files by default, the same cant be said for cloud storage or company databases. Only 10% of organizations report that at least 80% of the information they have stored in the cloud is encrypted, according to a 2024 industry survey. This leaves a huge amount of unencrypted personal information potentially exposed if attackers manage to break in. Without encryption, breaking into a database is like opening an unlocked filing cabineteverything inside is accessible to the attacker. Multifactor authentication is a security measure that requires you to provide more than one form of verification before accessing sensitive information. This type of authentication is more difficult to crack than a password alone because it requires a combination of different types of information. It often combines something you know, such as a password, with something you have, such as a smartphone app that can generate a verification code or with something thats part of what you are, like a fingerprint. Proper use of multifactor authentication reduces the risk of compromise by 99.22%. While 83% of organizations require that their employees use multifactor authentication, according to another industry survey, this still leaves millions of accounts protected by nothing more than a password. As attackers grow more sophisticated and credential theft remains rampant, closing that 17% gap isnt just a best practiceits a necessity. Multifactor authentication is one of the simplest, most effective steps organizations can take to prevent data breaches, but it remains underused. Expanding its adoption could dramatically reduce the number of successful attacks each year. Awareness gives people the knowledge they need Even the best technology falls short when people make mistakes. Human error played a role in 68% of 2024 data breaches, according to a Verizon report. Organizations can mitigate this risk through employee training, data minimizationmeaning collecting only the information necessary for a task, then deleting it when its no longer neededand strict access controls. Policies, audits, and incident response plans can help organizations prepare for a possible data breach so they can stem the damage, see who is responsible and learn from the experience. Its also important to guard against insider threats and physical intrusion using physical safeguards such as locking down server rooms. Public policy holds organizations accountable Legal protections help hold organizations accountable in keeping data protected and giving people control over their data. The European Unions General Data Protection Regulation is one of the most comprehensive privacy laws in the world. It mandates strong data protection practices and gives people the right to access, correct, and delete their personal data. And the General Data Protection Regulation has teeth: In 2023, Meta was fined 1.2 billion (US$1.4 billion) when Facebook was found in violation. Despite years of discussion, the U.S. still has no comprehensive federal privacy law. Several proposals have been introduced in Congress, but none have made it across the finish line. In its place, a mix of state regulations and industry-specific rulessuch as the Health Inurance Portability and Accountability Act for health data and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for financial institutionsfill the gaps. Some states have passed their own privacy laws, but this patchwork leaves Americans with uneven protections and creates compliance headaches for businesses operating across jurisdictions. The tools, policies, and knowledge to protect personal data existbut peoples and institutions use of them still falls short. Stronger encryption, more widespread use of multifactor authentication, better training, and clearer legal standards could prevent many breaches. Its clear that these tools work. Whats needed now is the collective willand a unified federal mandateto put those protections in place. This article is part of a series on data privacy that explores who collects your data, what and how they collect, who sells and buys your data, what they all do with it, and what you can do about it. Mike Chapple is a teaching professor of IT, analytics, and operations at the University of Notre Dame. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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So, you cried at work. In front of other people. Maybe it caught you off guardunexpected tears rising mid-sentence during a meeting, or an emotional wave you couldnt quite contain. Maybe you knew it was coming but thought you could hold it until later. And now, on top of whatever brought the tears in the first place, youre managing a second layer: the self-consciousness. The post-cry spiral. The wondering what they think. The wondering what this means. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} If thats where you are, heres what I want you to hear: this happens. More often than people admit. And while it may not have been your plan, its not an indictment of your professionalism, your competence, or your leadership. What crying at work actually signals As a coach and therapist, Ive worked with dozens of women in the moment after this onethe part where you start replaying the scene, wondering if you lost credibility or if your colleagues now see you differently. And what Ive learned is this: Tears in a professional setting rarely happen out of nowhere. Theyre often the culmination of weeks, months, sometimes years of accumulation. Maybe its rooted in unspoken frustration, chronic overextension, casual sexism that youve absorbed and tried to rise above, situations that put you in no-win territory, or being told your feedback is so important but watching nothing change. Eventually, your internal emotional system starts to flag andsometimesthat results in tears. In many workplaces, crying in front of others still carries a social cost. There may be discomfort, silence, or even avoidance. Thats not because you did something wrongits because we havent built workplace cultures that know how to metabolize emotion. So what do you do now? A Professional Debrief Heres what I often walk clients through after a moment like this: 1. Take a neutral inventory What was happening in the room, both externally and internally? Think through both the words that were said and the dynamics at play. Were you under attack? Were you receiving feedback in a way that felt demeaning? Were you put in a position where your values felt compromised? Often, the tears arent about a single momenttheyre about a cumulative weight. Getting specific can help you separate the emotional release from the storyline of I lost control. 2. Dont rush to over-correct The instinct might be to overexplain or immediately send a follow-up message downplaying the moment. Thats not always necessary. If you feel a follow-up would serve younot just protect others from discomfortthen keep it simple and grounded: “Yesterdays conversation touched on something I care deeply about, and I had a strong response. I appreciate everyones professionalism, and Im clearheaded about where to go from here.” Theres no need for a drawn-out apology. Emotion isnt misconduct. 3. Zoom out. What system were you navigating? Women in leadership often carry a disproportionate burden of emotional regulation. You may be expected to be the one who brings empathy, maintains the calm, and absorbs tension. When that expectation becomes unsustainable, the moment you stop performing that role can feel disruptive. That doesnt make your feelings inappropriate. It makes the system worth examining. If youre still cringing Thats natural. Youre human. And most of us were conditioned to believe that our value at work rests on being cool, calm, and above it all. But from a professional perspective, one emotional momentespecially when it reflects real stress or high stakesdoesnt undo years of competence, credibility, or leadership. Its a data point, not a verdict. So the question becomes: what do you want to learn from it? Not in a punitive, How do I make sure this never happens again? waybut in a curious, Whats the system Ive been operating in, and what is it costing me? kind of way. Maybe youve been holding too much without support. Maybe something in your role or team culture needs repair. Maybe your values are rubbing up against something that isnt working anymore. Whatever it isits worth paying attention to. Pause and reflect Crying at work is not a character flaw. Its a moment of unscheduled honesty in a place that doesnt always make room for it. And while it may not have felt professional, it may have been true. And truth is always worth examining. If youre finding yourself stuck in the aftershocksruminating, replaying, pulling awayId invite you to pause. Not to fix yourself, but to reflect. With less judgment and more context. You are not the only one. You are not broken. And this moment doesnt define you. But it might be trying to tell you something important. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/acupofambition_logo.jpg","headline":"A Cup of Ambition","description":"A biweekly newsletter for high-achieving moms who value having a meaningful career and being an involved parent, by Jessica Wilen. To learn more visit acupofambition.substack.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/acupofambition.substack.com","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
Everyone loves the aha momentthat big idea, concept, or insight. But real impact happens when innovation takes root, at scale. This is where the rubber really meets the road. We are facing some of the biggest global challenges in decadesfrom socioeconomic changes and an aging population to climate impacts and the real need to feed our rapidly changing world. Innovation is how we turn challenges into ideas and actionable results. But it only matters when it can be scaled, making its way from whiteboards and pilot plants into the real world on shelves and in peoples lives. So, what does it take to make that happen? The best recipe for scalable innovation starts with the right culture, partners, and willingness to stay the course. Build a culture of innovation You dont get world-changing ideas by staying comfortable. The essence of innovation is stepping into something new. Scaling innovation starts by intentionally building a culture of innovation, with the right mindset, beliefs and behaviors. My teams have done this by: Attracting top talent: Innovation begins with innovators. We consistently focus on recruiting deep expertise and curious minds to our team. Building world-class capabilities: Driving growth requires investing in capabilities needed for the future (looking at emerging spaces 3-5 years out) even in tough times. Focusing on customer and consumer needs: Know your why. For us, its fulfilling our purpose through solutions that deliver value to our customers and their consumers. Dedicated innovation and technical teams tagged to strategic customers have made all the difference. Enhancing innovation systems and processes. Governance and defined processes arent optional. We got creative, working with our audit team to make innovation measurable and so it sticks. Innovation isnt just R&D. Its a mindset that thrives on experimentation, tolerates failure, and encourages rapid iteration. When you focus not only on the idea, but how that idea creates impact for customers across your organization or industry, thats where the magic happens. You can reinforce how your unique capabilities, processes, and portfolio connect, building conviction to act across an organization, together. Partnerships drive exponential possibility Ive been asked a lot about what the benefits are of companies collaborating to drive scalable innovations. To me its simple. Innovation is the ultimate team sport. No one succeeds alone. Period. Scaling innovations demands a connected system across the supply chain, geographies, and partners. This approach unites experts from academia, startups, VCs, suppliers, and brand-name companies around the same goal: finding science-driven innovations that work. Part of the equation is balancing profit, purpose, and demand. Innovations must make business sense and deliver profits. But you cant abandon ship at the first sign of short-term volatility. Thats why this kind of integration is rare and powerful. Sharing risks and rewards requires a foundation of partnership, trust, and clear understanding of the role each of us plays in the full innovation ecosystem. For Cargill, which supports 30+ startups in 11 countries and almost every continent, partnership takes many forms. We have an early validation program to address the biggest startup challenges, moving from concept to scale. We also partner with universities and accelerators to advance critical research and innovations. And we partner with customers to achieve shared goals of improved health, nutrition, sustainability, and food system resilience Stay the course Great ideas are just the beginning. Too many innovations are celebrated early, hitting the top of the hype curve before getting filed away. Why? Because scaling isnt easy. Scale demands rigor, patience, and some grit. It takes science, systems, and the right incentives to stay committed long enough to see real results. Its the repeatable and reliable innovations that make the real difference, including those that are accessible. To make sure your innovations stick, build scalability into your innovation plans from the start. Think in systems, prioritize speed, and access and always collaborate. Balance delivering for today (were all accountable to the bottom line) without losing sight of the long-term vision. The future belongs to those who not only imagine whats possible but who can build it at scale. Thats how we move from aha to innovations that truly change our world. Florian Schattenmann is CTO of Cargill.
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E-Commerce
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