virna17janmar

VIEWPOINT
JANUARY – MARCH 2017
VACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
Security in an
Insecure World
BY
Craig M. Nash
CHAIRMAN,
PRESIDENT, AND CEO
ILG
I intentionally don’t bank or pay my bills
online. I use a BlackBerry because it’s supposed
to be more secure than a smartphone. I don’t
have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest
account. And, believe it or not, I still write checks!
My kids and colleagues may give me a hard
time. But I can put up with their teasing — I happily
maintain these small rebellions against the surrender
of personal data to the threat of compromise.
Leaving a Digital Trail
I’m very aware, however, that they are just that:
small rebellions. The truth is, there’s no getting
away from digital exposure of our personal information.
Through virtually every transactional
experience we undertake — whether buying an airline
ticket, visiting the doctor, using GPS, or texting
our loved ones — we’re creating a digital trail of
our activities and behaviors that puts our personal
information into potential peril.
A rise in identity theft and hacks of corporate
databases aside, this past fall, we witnessed some
examples of how systems breaches can have a
wide-range — even global — impact: in the U.S.
presidential election, the WikiLeaks disclosure of
thousands of emails from the Democratic National
Committee, allegations of cyber-espionage from
Russia and attempts to influence the election; then,
a cyber-attack that caused worldwide shutdowns
of Twitter, Amazon, and Netflix, among other sites.
Individuals, government, political institutions,
and businesses alike all seem to be equally vulnerable
to information leaks. And the results can
be devastating.
Protecting Our Data
That’s why we at ILG take the security of our data
very seriously. Protecting our information, our
systems, and the privacy of our constituencies
is a top priority. Under the direction of the
company’s chief information security officer,
Georgios Mortakis, we’ve developed a solid
framework that anchors strict security policies,
procedures, employee awareness and training,
and regulatory compliance.
As Georgios points out in the article on cybersecurity
in this issue of Vacation Industry Review
(page 8), it’s as difficult to prevent all risk of cyberabuse
as it is to stop a hurricane. We acknowledge
this, but — as those of us who face the possibility
of hurricanes on a regular basis know — we don’t
stand by and wait to sweep up the broken glass.
We put the equivalent of storm shutters in place to
reduce or eliminate the impact.
ILG employs a thorough risk-assessment
methodology in order to identify and mitigate
security vulnerabilities, and to determine specific
controls. We rely on continuous monitoring
and incident-response management. Finally, ILG
performs security-control due diligence on third
party–connected entities and partners.
Pursuit of Predictability
This strict adherence helps protect ILG, our family
of companies, and all those we do business with,
and it supports our efforts to pursue the security
and predictability our constituencies value.
Security and predictability are something we
all seek. But we’re wise to always be prepared to
expect the unexpected. And that has never been
more true than at the end of one of the most divisive
and contentious U.S. elections ever. While the
collision of different visions of where we are as a
nation and where we need to go has disquieted
us, I think we’re all at a point where we’re ready to
heal and move forward.
We as individuals, as businesses, and as an
industry must remain focused on the long-term
picture, while anticipating and responding to
the constant bombardment of change wrought
by technology and other forces. By adhering
to this balanced path, we’re sure to continue
in a positive direction and, no doubt, celebrate
many successes.
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