We recently made a trip to the mysterious and ever evasive South American continent. Mysterious only because I know about the continent in general, but little about the subtle variations in culture between the countries. High on the list for this trip was Machu Picchu of course and Brazil. As any good tourists we did our research and Peru turned to be everything the You Tube video tours said it would be. Between my millennial offspring and us, our excessive online browsing led to many “deja vu” moments. I now believe that Oculus , You Tube HD and a dozen empanadas from your corner bakery could potentially put a serious dent in tourism.
One would however miss the people, the vibe, the smells and the touch. The kindness of the retiree in Brazil who, upon seeing we were lost, not only set us on the right way but also gave us a mini tour in the process. Even the thoughtfulness of the Hotel front desk clerk who found us a room at 5 am knowing we were due to check in at noon, or the extra service provided by the flight attendants who saved tired sleeping kids an extra snack when they woke up. Yes Virtual reality is not there, yet!
However, Speaking of South American flights both timeliness and security are mere suggestions. I saw many a laptop and water bottle slip past security. What really got me was the frequent opening and closing of the cockpit door repeatedly on many flights.
For a fun, people loving culture (pilots included), the idea of an imminent terrorist threat seems so irrelevant when compared to the immediate opportunity of sharing a coffee and conversation with the approachable flight attendant. Which got me thinking, are we driven by the same motivators when it comes to adopting an IT security posture? Does something bad have to happen to drive the message home? I wonder. In this day and age, it’s that type of thinking that can land us in the worse situations. One must always remember to be aware, and a step ahead. While too many precautions can produce a level anxiety, one must always remember the age old rule; “Better safe than sorry.”