Geo-Political Considerations

As the events in Ukraine continue to develop, eDrivium will be here to support customers and partners alike.

As our lives are more and more dependent on advanced information and telecommunication technology, it may be increasingly difficult to stay safe and away from the conflicts arising globally.

Through our use of technology and choice of providers, we may inadvertently open ourselves to vulnerabilities that could cripple our businesses.

As reported by BBC: “Germany’s cyber-security authority has warned against using anti-virus software from Russian headquartered company Kaspersky”.

But Kaspersky is not the only company with Russian ties selling prolific security solutions to customers in Western countries.   This warning could extend to all software developed in Russia and Belarus.

In fact, considering where software is developed may become crucial in an ever changing geo-political landscape rife with conflict.  Our trust in software, hardware and security solutions developed in  Eastern Europe, the middle east and China could easily become eroded.

For example CheckPoint firewalls are in over 100 000 companies in over 80 countries around the world. The development centers for CheckPoint were formerly in the USA but are now in Israel and Belarus.

One of CheckPoint’s development centers is in a country that is openly hostile toward the USA and the West in general and strongly influenced by Russia. Even today, in the middle of the Ukrainian war, Checkpoint lists over 20 jobs opening in Minsk, Belarus. Yet, their firewalls are a favorite pick among many US and Canadian government agencies and major manufacturing companies.

Kaspersky and CheckPoint are just two examples of traditionally solid products embraced by the West which could potentially be used to undermine our country’s security.

Going forward, it is important to consider choosing IT security products manufactured in clearly allied countries to avoid possible support issues as well as to limit access of foreign intelligence agencies and industrial espionage.

When recommending solutions eDrivium will always consider your current security needs and budget as well as the risk and potential vulnerability of choosing solutions developed outside of our geo-political alliances.