According to the FAA, every day there are more than
44,000 flights and 2.7 million airline passengers that make the journey across
air space. To power these airplanes, it takes a variety of technologies such as
machine learning, big data, analytics, software development teams and layers of
cybersecurity protection.
In honor of today being National Aviation Day, a variety
of industry experts have commented on the role technology plays in allowing us
all to take flight each day.
Orion
Cassetto, director, product marketing, Exabeam
"Every
month, there are 1,000 cyberattacks across the air transport industry. At the
same time, just 35 percent of airlines and 30 percent of airports believe they
are prepared to deal with cyber threats today. The industry is constantly
innovating to stay ahead of the technology curve, but these innovations are
actually creating new vulnerabilities.
Customer
experience is paramount in an industry as competitive and prone to issues as
air travel. To deliver a great experience, airlines are implementing emerging
technologies, from mobile apps to mood lighting and entertainment systems. From
purchasing a ticket, to using miles to upgrade, to making a connection, more
data than ever is being used to protect passenger privacy and keep departures
on time.
An area
that's less visible to passengers is the activity monitoring and data
collection airlines conduct across a wide range of applications. This
information is used to improve operations that impact every stage of the
journey.
Machine
learning, big data and analytics are all being used to gather data and set a
baseline of normal behavior, which makes threats and anomalous behavior easier
and faster to identify. Systems that can detect and escalate unusual patterns
and help pinpoint event timelines provide deep insight on security events that
may be the source of the anomalies. Gaining access to that insight before
something happens is critical because it allows officials to stop problems
before they start," said Orion Cassetto, director, Product Marketing, Exabeam
Setu
Kulkarni, vice
president, strategy & business development, WhiteHat
Security
"The
Cathay Pacific and Air Canada data breaches were clear warning signs for the
airline industry to take ‘digital safety' as seriously as they take aviation
safety. Despite increasing dependence on new technology for both internal
processes and customer-facing applications, airlines have been slow to embrace
the level of security needed to protect those systems.
Airlines
encourage travelers to use mobile apps and kiosks for checking into flights and
accessing digital boarding passes, but this convenience introduces new cyber
risks that can lead to real privacy and safety consequences. Airlines need to
model their security endeavors around the hundreds of thousands of travelers
who trust them to protect the private information they share in order to fly.
To
mitigate risk, the airline industry must view the entire IT estate as a
vulnerable asset. Comprehensive security programs protect all points of entry,
including APIs, network connections, mobile apps, websites and databases;
provide proper security training and education to staff; foster collaboration
between development and security teams, and regularly test software assets for
vulnerabilities," said Setu
Kulkarni, vice
president, strategy & business development, WhiteHat
Security
Bob
Davis, CMO, Plutora
"Over
2.5 million passengers fly in and out of U.S. airports everyday, and they rely
on the software of major airlines to keep them up to date on flight status and
where their luggage will eventually end up. But few realize that they are also
relying on software for the safety of their journeys.
Today,
in every airline large or small, software updates help keep planes safely in
the air, but updates can't be successful if they can't be done at scale.
Scaling a software solution in any large enterprise is a difficult task -- and
for industries with as much on the line as the airline industry, failure can be
catastrophic. The price of failure is compounded by the nature of the industry,
but the problem is the same across all industries.
Overcoming
issues of scaling software development in a world of multiple complex
deliveries is a problem that exists everywhere. The fact remains that all
enterprises need to understand that getting your software right means getting
your business right, and if they don't, they will fail," said Bob Davis,
CMO, Plutora
Steve
Blow, technology evangelist, Zerto
"There
may be no other industry that is so heavily regulated or impacted by outages
than the airline industry - and for good reason. Real lives, safety, security,
money, time and emotions are on the line 24/7/365, and dependent on
near-perfect operations and uptime. No matter how big or small a system failure
is, it's important that airlines be able to cope. IT failures have severe
business implications, ranging from frustrated customers, to damaged brand
reputation, to not being able to execute revenue generating operations.
Yet,
regrettably, issues arise every day and flights are forced to ground operations
after experiencing system-wide computer outages in the planes. Not to mention,
reservation systems outages that impact airlines and travellers around the
world. The difference between being down for hours or days versus minutes or
seconds is the difference between a solid disaster recovery plan and one that
is outdated, barely tested or even non-existent.
IT can
be exceptionally complex in the airline industry and many organizations may
feel hopeless when faced with the idea of revamping their IT resilience
strategy. However, they don't have to feel that way. With the simplicity and
affordability provided by cloud-based advancements, disaster recovery systems
are now widespread. And while some outages are out of airlines' control, much
more can be done to ensure they are less vulnerable from an IT perspective.
Airlines do not have to accept outages as a cost of doing business,"
said Steve Blow, Technology Evangelist, Zerto
Lex
Boost, CEO, Leaseweb USA
"Aviation has been part of
Leaseweb since day one. While working as professional pilots, our founders
understood the importance of reliability and global connections and brought
with them the directive of a captain-‘sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight'. When
you're sitting on a flight, getting ready to take-off, that's one of the things
you'll hear the captain say, and Leaseweb carries that same ethos. Pilots have
to be aware of their surroundings, be precise and use their experience to
resolve any problem. This could mean the difference between a pleasant flight
(smooth, secure connection) and one that could put others at risk (vulnerable,
unreliable connection). Leaseweb provides
high-quality cloud hosting services, allowing our clients to focus on the important
aspects of their business while we steer the flight," said Lex Boost,
CEO, Leaseweb USA.