26 November 2016

Proactive Defense: ICT Supercomputers in the Fifth Domain...

The days are numbered for the major and large scale ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) incidents.  Corporations and global 500 organizations are scaling up for the long game, in a new era of Operational Risk Management (ORM).  We are rapidly moving from Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, to "Proactive Defense."

No longer, is the topic of digital strategy being pushed down on the list of priorities by the Board of Directors; it is now at the top.  E-commerce and digital branding are an integrated dialogue along with EBITA in the corporate board room.  The "Trust Decisions" being made each minute of each hour by the enterprise, are now being calculated by machines, sophisticated algorithms and data analytics.
In an increasingly virtual world, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that human networks, relationships and trust are more important than ever. Those bonds can be sparked in face-to-face discussions. Meanwhile, we can’t allow ourselves to be passive when our opponents are actively engaged and financially motivated. Since we have such a determined foe, we need to challenge each other on the stage. We need to change from thinking defensively to proactively on ICT.--William H. Saito  Special Advisor, Cabinet Office (Government of Japan)
Japan and other nations are racing each other to create the worlds fastest-known supercomputer.  Why?

The deep learning and artificial-intelligence (AI) trend tells us that soon more corporations will be leveraging these government-owned assets for assistance.  Whether it is for medical diagnostics, cyberspace threat intelligence or improving the speed of other humanitarian focused equations, Japan is also joining the supercomputer race for the fastest computer on earth:

"In a move that is expected to vault Japan to the top of the supercomputing heap, its engineers will be tasked with building a machine that can make 130 quadrillion calculations per second - or 130 petaflops in scientific parlance - as early as next year, sources involved in the project told Reuters.

At that speed, Japan's computer would be ahead of China's Sunway Taihulight that is capable of 93 petaflops".


Why is the global race for supercomputer superiority a nation-state issue?  What is the reason for diverting national funds to this project, over others of key importance to the welfare of the majority of the population?  Operational Risk Management of the nation itself.

The "Fifth Domain" after Air, Land, Sea and Space is that infrastructure comprised of our planetary ICT landscape.  Digital infrastructures are now so integrated that cyberspace incidents such as war in Estonia, Stuxnet in Iran, Sony Pictures in the U.S. and the more pervasive "Ransomware" worldwide, are just the initial indicators of what still lies ahead of us.

We must now turn our attention to the positive innovation and continuous "Proactive Defense" of our critical infrastructure.  Nation states such as Japan and others, who are the key gateways for undersea cables, truly understand the vital nature of their ICT assets.

A nation states "Cyberspace Strategy" has now evolved beyond the current state, to the "Fifth Domain".  Global 500 companies are fighting DDoS botnets on a daily basis trying to keep e-commerce running.  This largely invisible war, will continue to evolve as new technologies and supercomputers become the new normal.

"On Tuesday, the chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced that the government was “investing” £1.9bn in boosting the nation’s cybersecurity. “If we want Britain to be the best place in the world to be a tech business,” he said, “then it is also crucial that Britain is a safe place to do digital business… Just as technology presents huge opportunities for our economy – so to it poses a risk. Trust in the internet and the infrastructure on which it relies is fundamental to our economic future. Because without that trust, faith in the whole digital edifice will fall away.”

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