Swedish and European IT is caught in a paradox. We stand before the greatest infrastructure humanity has ever built. Oceans of compute, storage, and security. Platforms hardened by global investments. Built with resilience no single EU state could dream of and with protections no local provider can match.
And yet, in fear and misplaced pride, we drain the ocean.
Middle-earth never had hashtags, but it did have trolls. And compared to the ones lurking on your feed, cave trolls were a breeze.
Tolkien’s world wasn’t just swords, magic, and epic battles. It was about choices under pressure and the kind of person you become when the stakes are high. Same rules apply here, only the battle is fought on comment threads and DMs instead of Pelennor Fields.
I have been working in IT for over 25 years. I have seen trends come and go, from mainframes to cloud, from on-prem to “as-a-service”, from bash scripts to Kubernetes. Each time, the story was the same: this will change everything. And each time, after the noise settled, the same truth returned that if you did not understand what you were doing before, you still do not now.
I have been doing this a while now, security, infrastructure, cloud, almost the whole IT-world.
Some days I feel sharp and useful. Other days... I am just tired.
In an age where a few keystrokes can collapse entire systems, the line between innovation and security is no longer clear-cut. Modern organizations find themselves waging two parallel wars: one to stay ahead of technological advancements, and another to defend against an ever-evolving tide of cyber threats. At the center of these battles stand two distinct figures: the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). These roles, while critical, often seem at odds. The CIO, the visionary innovator, is focused on driving technology to new heights. The CISO, the vigilant protector, ensures these advancements are fortified against a spectrum of digital adversaries.
The friction between these roles raises fundamental questions about organizational strategy. Should the CIO and CISO remain separate entities, each managing their respective domains, or is it time to unify their responsibilities under a single leader? Moreover, are these roles, conceived in vastly different times, still relevant in today’s hyper-connected, high-risk world?
I am a procrastinator - sometimes more than I'd like to admit. But haven't we all been there? Whether it’s putting off that work project, delaying household chores, or avoiding a difficult conversation, procrastination is a universal human experience. Studies suggest that up to 20% of adults regularly postpone important tasks, and for students, that number can climb as high as 50%. But what's going on when we procrastinate? Let's dive into the psychological underpinnings of this common behaviour and explore how our habits intersect with societal influences.
From my point of view, a concerning trend has emerged within the IT and tech community, a visible decline in self-drive and initiative among newer IT professionals. In an industry defined by its constant evolution and rapid pace, I wonder: where has the hunger gone?
Let’s cut through the noise: in the cybersecurity world, there’s a lot of hype about AI, machine learning, and the latest tech wizardry that’s supposed to solve all our problems. But here’s the brutal truth—no amount of fancy new tech is going to save your skin if you’re not nailing the basics. The old-school, unsexy stuff still matters. Policies, discipline, and sticking to what works are what’s going to keep your organization safe.
At my age of 44, with three kids and a half a lifetime experience behind me, I found myself reflecting on the profound impact technology has on our lives. While listening to Nightwish's new song “the day of…”. The world today is vastly different from the one I grew up in, where technology was a tool to simplify tasks and have fun with. Now, it seems to have evolved into a force that not only shapes our daily existence (Smartphones, social media etc.) but also dictates the future.
The rapid adoption of cloud services like Microsoft Azure has revolutionized business operations but also introduced significant security risks. Human error remains a critical vulnerability, as highlighted by incidents like the "ChaosDB" breach. Misconfigurations, weak passwords, and inadequate monitoring continue to undermine advanced technological defenses. To transform employees from liabilities into assets, organizations must invest in comprehensive training, regular phishing simulations, and continuous learning opportunities.
Azure's suite of security tools, including Azure Security Center and Azure AD Conditional Access, can mitigate human error, but integrating these tools with human vigilance creates a more resilient security posture. Leadership must foster a security-first culture, empowering employees to take ownership of protocols without fear of retribution. As cyber threats evolve, innovative training methods like gamification and AI-driven learning will be essential. The future of cybersecurity in the cloud depends on a balanced investment in both technology and people.