Phones, Phone Numbers and Security
Many websites, particularly bank websites, now require what is known as “Two Factor Authentication” (TFA) to complete transactions access the website or to authorise activities.
This idea behind this is sound: with the increase in fraudulent online activity by felons who have managed to acquire innocent victims’ details, banks, merchants and other service providers need to take action.
The problem can be that, when users set up TFA, they are asked to give a phone number. On the face of it, this is a good idea. The problem is that the system then relies on that phone number for authorisation. This is great when users are accessible on that phone number. I have encountered situations, though, when I’ve been travelling and have replaced my (we’ll call it “local SIM card“ from the country in which I’m based) with a SIM card registered in the country I’m visiting.
This turns the TFA system upside down. If I need to access sites which rely on a telephone number to authenticate the transaction, my only choice is to replace one SIM with another for the duration of that transaction.
On the face of it, this is not a major effort. It is though, if the SIM card of the country in which I am based is from a provider who has no arrangement with a local mobile service operator in the country which I’m visiting. It’s also likely to cost me more to receive that call.
A better system which more suppliers and providers have identified is to have TFA based on a randomly generate security number which is done online via the internet, or to send an authentication code via email. In this case, it doesn’t matter where I am or which provider’s SIM card I have in my phone. As long as I can access the internet, I can obtain my random security number.
As more providers realise the benefits of TFA, through random security number generation online, dependence on a phone call will hopefully become a thing of the past.
There are, surprisingly, a number of large institutions, which have the time and resources (both financial and in terms of personnel and expertise) to implement such systems but haven’t. The only way to get them to get them to change will be through pressure from their customers.
Luckily, things are looking good on this front, and I believe that, in time, randomly generated security codes will become a norm as opposed to the return phone call for TFA.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Customer Care, Risk
Economic Coercion
The phrase “economic coercion” is the latest in descriptions used by the West about how certain countries (mentioning no names) use incentives such as investment, construction, or other activities that benefit another country to advance their own interests.
People tend to forget, though, that in the past, the West has been just as guilty of such activities and continues to be. Witness the sanctions imposed on countries who engage in activities that do not appeal to the United States, the EU or others.
It has to be said that, at times, economic coercion has benefits. As an example, part of the reason that apartheid in South Africa came to an end was because other countries sanctioned South Africa under the white regime. Another example, lies in the current sanctions on Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine. Although have these really worked?
The system is, however, open to abuse. Witness Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the treaty with Iran in 2018 – three years after Barak Obama signed it - and his unilateral imposition of sanctions which have resulted in a considerable decrease in the quality of life and an increase in anti-US and anti-Western rhetoric from Iran and the Middle East.
Let’s face it: we all practice “economic coercion” of one sort or another when it suits us. At times, this may be required as, for example, when it means not exporting, sensitive or advanced technological equipment or parts to water are described as malicious regimes. At times, though, it seems that when certain other countries do it, that’s bad.
Is this a relic of colonial era attitudes or a genuine description of a problem? At times, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as we would like.
The world is changing. The “old order” is losing influence as new, regional and economic blocs arise and look to define their own identity, usually by challenging the interests of the existing order. The latter, of course, see this as unacceptable.
The sad truth is that things are changing. The question is how we adapt.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Leadership, Regulation, Social
AI - Blessing or Curse?
There’s growing discussion about artificial intelligence (AI, as it is known). What do we make of this phenomenon and how can it be harnessed?
The subject of AI is actually not new. Sci-fi writers such as Isaac Asimov deal with it in books like I Robot. Frank Herbert’s Dune saga deals with the rise of a messianic figure in a world that has rejected technology due to robot rebellions in its distant past. Other books and movies such as 2001, A Space Odyssey discuss the effects of AI run amok. Perhaps the most famous is the Teminator series where the computer Skynet becomes self-aware and sets out to systematically destroy the human race.
Like all new technology, AI is here to stay. Like all new technology, there is room to use and abuse it. “Good“ uses might be for automating simple decisions, diagnoses, or processes, thereby, speeding them up and providing better (and cheaper?) service to consumers.
Abuses, as have already come to light, may include students using AI to write assignments, thereby earning marks to which they otherwise would not be entitled.
We recently discovered the limitations of AI when, as an experiment, we asked ChatGPT to generate a press release for an event that we were running. We found that the information on which the AI could draw seemed to be limited to anything available in the public domain two years or more ago. In other words, more recent material, of which we were aware, was not yet available to AI.
The head of ChatGPT has now called for regulation on the use of AI. Like much technology, this will be necessary to regulate and eliminate potential abuse, as well as leverage the benefits that AI could produce.
Perhaps the greatest problem with regulation is that it will inevitably be up to governments to manage. History shows that government regulation is “way behind the curve“ as has been demonstrated on numerous occasions by, for example, the financial services industry.
At present, the full potential of AI has yet to be discovered. What I suspect will happen is that the potential for abuse will become far more apparent far more quickly than the potential benefits. One can only hope that the former do not outweigh the latter.
A final consideration: what happens to the jobs that AI will inevitably supplant? What jobs can AI supplant? What new jobs will be required to absorb those whose livelihood has now been taken away?
One role that is unlikely to be displaced (at least in the near future) is that of interpreting what people mean. I recently saw a joke about how AI could never replace IT staff because then IT users would have to be able to explain exactly what they want. The joke amongst IT experts is that users never know what they want. The same will apply to other jobs: medicine psychology, anything that requires an ability to make the intuitive leaps of which AI is not yet capable.
All these and many more will become the subject of much debate over the next 5 to 10 years.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.
Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Strategy
COVID and Working From Home
One of the most visible results of the COVID pandemic was the increase in the number of people working from home (WFH). This has continued as part of the employment landscape.
My daughter’s company, for example, allows her to work from home two days out of every five (but whether this is a result of the pandemic or their normal policy, I don’t know).
An interesting survey appeared in April about the effects of COVID and the WFH phenomenon in the US. Among the results were:
- The workforce WFH became both younger and more diverse.
- The number WFH tripled from 5.7% in 2019 - 17.9% in 2021, due to restrictions on movement brought on by COVID.
- The number of drivers, car-poolers and public transport users declined, obviously due to movement restrictions.
- The 25 - 34 age group of WFH-ers increased from 16% - to 23% between 2019 - 2021.
- The number of people WFH who had college degrees increased from 50% to over 66%.
- Amongst those who had moved house in the 2019 - 2021 period more were likely to be those working from home.
The industries that saw the greatest jump in employees working from home were IT (10.4% - 42% - no surprises there), finance, insurance and real estate (10.8% to 38.4%) and professional and admin roles (12.6% to 36.5%). These are industries that lend themselves more to WFH.
Among the industries that posted the smallest gains in staff WFH were agriculture, mining, entertainment, food, services, and the armed forces. Again, no surprises here. These industries require people to be “on site”.
Those earning the highest salaries and working from home saw their income triple, whilst even the lower-paid saw their income double. This may have been due to employers needing to maintain headcount and productivity in order to continue providing goods and services and maintain profitability.
Main factors affecting ability to work from home were:
- Availability of Internet access (needless to say, tech-heavy areas with superior internet access had a higher proportion of people working from home).
- Job location: it wouldn’t matter if your job was sited far from where you lived or close by, as long as you had robust internet access. My son, who works in the IT industry, is now entirely based at home after his employer found it cheaper to close their Kent HQ.
- Whether people needed to commute either by personal or public transport.
With the increase in people WFH and their incomes, it’s hardly surprising that WFH is, most likely, here to stay. Employers will have seen gains from reduced need for office space, cost of utilities, and other outgoings associated with maintaining offices full of staff.
Does this presage a complete restructuring of the global economy? My opinion is that more people will continue to WFH and to expect this as a “standard” part of their terms of employment. Industries that require workers to be on site (see above) will see comparatively little difference, although they may wage bills increase to retain staff who would otherwise be tempted to seek employment in areas where working from home was possible. The impact of this on part-time or shift-based jobs may be lower.
Each of us will have to react to this new situation based on the needs of our customers and our business.
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
