Automating Risk Functions for Greater Value Creation

Posted on by

Despite recent volatility, more than 60% of risk executives surveyed in a recent PwC US Pulse Survey were optimistic about the global economy, as well as the state of the pandemic recovery. This optimism could stem from a greater alignment between risk functions and the business. Fifty percent of risk management executives reported interacting more with the C-suite, and 42% said they interact more with the board level. Nearly half of respondents said that risk functions and capabilities are now embedded in the business operations that are driving transformations.

Risk functions were once considered tactical and reactive, and often seen as a roadblock to business decisions. Infusing risk management into corporate planning allows an organization to think about compliance responsibilities in a proactive and strategic manner—moving risk and regulatory functions from a back-office cost to a competitive advantage. Staying ahead of uncertainties while also bolstering planning with data helps make companies stronger and more resilient.

Many companies spent the last decade overspending on risk management as they attempted to keep up with compliance and regulatory shifts, frequently lagging behind changes in policy. They often invested heavily in new technologies and data collection, but failed to create efficiencies by integrating those systems across largely siloed business functions. The swift onset of the pandemic made many organizations come to terms with the reality that an entire organization didn’t need to be reimagined in order to implement technological transformations, and that there was still a disconnect between many of the piecemeal systems that had been previously put in place.

Now, executives are increasingly seeing the value of risk management as a strategic advantage. It allows companies to grow in areas with less mature risk management functions, like taking on higher risk clients or entering new geographies. More intelligent monitoring also allows for increased efficiencies and reduced compliance costs.

Integrating AI and automation into the investments that have already been made can help streamline the risk management and compliance processes. Many companies still have room for improvement; only 25% of risk professionals said they were implementing new risk management technologies in 2021 and only 19% said it was a priority to integrate risk management tools onto a single platform.

By automating and enhancing risk management functions, organizations can:

  • Strategize for entering new markets. Make more informed decisions about entering a new market by taking into consideration a shifting regulatory environment and increasingly complex supply chains. Taking on high risk customers relies on analytics and transaction monitoring systems in order to identify potential suspicious activity.
  • Increase speed to respond. Automation and technology-led monitoring of policy and negative news helps position companies to respond more quickly to regulatory bodies and head off negative events before they go viral.
  • Allocate costs efficiently. No longer duplicate costs by operating the departments of your business in a siloed fashion. Leverage case management and workflow systems to aggregate control failures or suspicious activity by customer or focal entity, allowing you to evaluate the root cause and apply analysis across multiple control failures.
  • Enter new business partnerships more confidently. Know the risks of a potential business partnership and get deeper insights into the impact a business partner or vendor’s supply chain could have on your business. Vendor risk management and contract analytics technologies can monitor whether business partners are adhering to their terms and conditions.
  • Reduce the impact of new requirements.  Identify the blind spots and shed light on the potential risks within your enterprise system so you can quickly take action early in the process, allowing your organization to avoid fines when implementing new regulatory requirements.

Regulators and other stakeholders are increasingly calling for the organization of risk management functions under one cohesive point of view. By fixing the disconnects and setting a collaborative tone, you give senior executives more cohesive insights and allow them to adopt more extensive views on the organization’s risk profile.

Employee Engagement is Key in COVID-19 Recovery

Posted on by

Businesses and their employees have had to rapidly adjust to the shutdowns and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and their ability to adapt and pivot will continue to be critical as organizations start to recover from the impacts of the crisis.

To further compound these circumstances, the ability to maintain engaged, empowered, and satisfied team members has proven challenging for many. While some organizations have thrived under their modified operating conditions, others have struggled to respond to change and keep team members engaged and productive. While rates of vaccinations are bringing some hope about the pandemic’s eventual end, the tidal wave of change we have experienced is unlikely to ebb any time soon.

When creating your COVID-19 recovery plans, the value of engaged and satisfied team members in this fast-moving environment must not be understated.

buy tobradex online www.phamatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/jpg/tobradex.html no prescription pharmacy

Engaged employees will support your organization to achieve its mission, execute its strategy and generate results, particularly as times remain uncertain.

As leaders, we must ask: how can we leverage the rapid change we have experienced over the past year, continue to drive growth and sustain employee satisfaction and engagement? Here’s how:

1. Accept remote or hybrid work environments as the “new normal”

The days of office cubicles and open floor plans for all employees are gone. We now operate in a world where some of our team members will continue to work where it is the safest, most suitable, and most empowering for them.

Many organizations across industries have already embraced the fact that working remotely, in some form or fashion, is here to stay. This shift has had many benefits—such as being able to recruit talent outside of your typical geographic area and eliminating lengthy commutes from home to office. However, the shift has not been without challenges and very real risks.

As we move into a recovery phase, leaders must remain alert to the challenges brought by an environment with minimal face-to-face interaction, the potential for feelings of social isolation, the need for different ways to access information or support, and the natural distractions of being at home.

For leaders, scheduling regular check-ins and establishing rules of engagement has not changed, regardless of whether you work in an office or at home. However, with a majority of our workforce currently at home, we need to get creative in the way we support and engage our teams.

2. Manage the new risks

This shift from in-office environments to hybrid or remote work environments has brought to light many physical, psychological and technological risks. Leaders must build out their risk management framework to incorporate a broader lens.

buy solosec online www.phamatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/jpg/solosec.html no prescription pharmacy

It is now paramount to ensure team members have access to resources to work from home safely and comfortably, with the right technology support and a focus on open lines of communication.

The pandemic has also brought on feelings of isolation and fear for many. If you have yet to adjust your workplace mental and physical support offerings, do not neglect these critical needs any longer. Ensure such offerings are also set up for those workers continuing in a hybrid or fully remote setting.

3. Prioritize communication

How we communicate and engage with our teams is as important as ever. Whether it’s Zoom, Slack, Webex, Microsoft Teams or any of the other platforms we have increasingly relied on over the past year, we need to provide opportunities for both formal and informal communication to flow.

buy neurontin online www.phamatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/jpg/neurontin.html no prescription pharmacy

Through informal social connections, leaders can demonstrate emotional support and consideration for their team, which ultimately leads to higher engagement.

When leaders are engaged, supportive, and available to their employees, it helps reduce feelings of isolation and reinforces your strong company culture. At the end of the day, when team members feel they work for an organization that supports their ambitions and wellbeing, it increases productivity, retention, and cost savings. This translates to bottom-line success.

Combating Fraudulent COVID Unemployment Claims

Posted on by

As federal and state officials scramble to send unemployment and stimulus funds to help people hit hard by COVID-19 business shutdowns, it has become a perfect storm for cyber fraud.

The payments are an easy target for cybercriminals as hackers and cyber gangs around the world have started to file unemployment claims use stolen identities. Some criminals claim benefits in the names of dead or incarcerated people, while others set up shell companies, “hiring and firing” fictitious employees to collect payments.

For example, cyber gangs in Nigeria have stolen millions in benefits from multiple states using hacked names, Social Security numbers and other information sold for as little as two dollars each on the dark web. In New York, a man was charged with filing more than $1.4 million in false COVID-19 unemployment claims, using the stolen identities of over 250 unknowing victims. According to U.S. attorneys, he was caught in part because he used the same IP address and security question and answer—the name of his family dog, Benji—to submit the applications.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates fraudsters may already have stolen at least $63 billion through phony jobless claims, while other reports say the losses could be as high as $200 billion. In addition, unsuspecting victims are at risk of receiving surprise tax bills because cybercriminals stole their identities and filed fraudulent claims for COVID-19 unemployment payments.

Watch Closely for Signs of Fraud

The Federal Trade Commission warns that unemployment fraud puts workers at additional risk of identity theft crimes including tax fraud. What can you do to help protect your employees?

Unemployment fraud is often uncovered when employers are notified by state officials that employees have applied for benefits. If they are still working, they may be the victim of identity theft.

buy clomiphene online cphia2023.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jpg/clomiphene.html no prescription pharmacy

Be alert to the signs of cybercrimes and unemployment fraud. Contact your human resources department or tax administrator and ask them to look carefully at any notices or requests they receive from state unemployment officials. If you get a report about unemployment benefits that an employee did not request or receive, contact the employment division of your state labor department. Unemployment fraud is so widespread that most states have set up special procedures to deal with these situations.

buy biaxin online cphia2023.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jpg/biaxin.html no prescription pharmacy

Warn Your Employees

Let employees know that unemployment scams are a serious problem. Identity theft can also lead to tax fraud, credit card theft and loans taken out in their names.

buy cipro online cphia2023.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jpg/cipro.html no prescription pharmacy

Notify a working employee immediately if the state informs you they have filed for unemployment benefits. They may be the victim of identity theft and should file a police report. Officials say workers scammed by cybercriminals do not have to pay unemployment taxes, but they must report the crime to the state labor department. And they should file their federal and state taxes on time for the correct amount of their income. The U.S. Labor Department has created a special website for victims of unemployment fraud.

Review Your Cybersecurity

Much of the personally identifiable information used by cyber thieves comes from data breaches, phishing schemes and other cyberattacks. Remind employees, particularly in human resources and tax departments, to be alert for suspicious emails, telephone calls and text messages about payroll information or W-2 forms.

The threat will continue beyond the pandemic. Business email compromise, in which employees are tricked into paying company funds into fraudulent accounts, is at an all-time high, so make sure employees have regular cybersecurity training. If you haven’t conducted a data inventory, do so now. Once you know what data you keep, you can determine what controls you require to protect that data. Store employee records securely and dispose of personally identifiable information carefully. It is also advisable to use a secure email gateway, which protects from spam, viruses, malware and denial-of-service attacks, and make sure employees working remotely are using secure company devices. Install patches and software updates, setting up automatic software updates whenever possible.

Unemployment or tax fraud targeting multiple employees may indicate a data breach. If you have a theft or cyberattack, contact your insurance carrier and, if necessary, seek expert help to identify the source, the extent of the problem and how best to respond.

Building Effective IT Disaster Recovery Plans

Posted on by

No matter how well-managed IT infrastructure is, there is always the risk that a tiny hiccup could ultimately turn into a real emergency. Given the increasing reliance on technology tools and access to business-critical data to continue operations, every business should have an effective IT disaster recovery plan in place to minimize disruption when disaster strikes. Risk professionals must consider and plan for this situation with regular testing and run-throughs to ensure that all team members understand the recovery plan and know their responsibilities.

As natural disaster season begins, risk professionals should assess the risks and mitigation strategies in place to minimize disruption and losses. The following tips can help ensure that IT disaster recovery plans are as effective as possible:

Plan in the Risk Management Context

Instead of thinking too much about what a disaster would mean for your company, frame your recovery plan in the context of risks. Start by examining which risks your company faces, and what steps you can take to minimize each one. This will ensure that all teams are fully aware of what the risks are, and how they can make a difference in eliminating potential problems.

Prioritize Communication

Nothing exacerbates a disaster like a communications breakdown, so all good recovery plans should focus on communication. The onset of an IT disaster could impact communication systems, so plan an alternative way of communicating with teams in the event of an emergency. Ensure that all team members know the backup communication method, and that everyone understands who they need to contact to inform them of the situation. 

Protect Data Continuity and Backups

Data continuity planning is critical to minimize losses during a crisis. At its essence, data continuity ensures companies have alternative processes and infrastructure in place to allow key IT operations to remain intact, taking into account both hardware and software. A first step is often to invest in failover systems across multiple locations as well as backup generators and power supplies, and ensuring you keep them all in working order.

Data continuity also involves backing up all important data and storing it in a location away from potential disruption. Methods range from server replication to continuous protection (continually backing up data on a separate server). For data back-ups, businesses often choose disk-to-tape or disk-to-cloud models. Either way, the most crucial element of backing up data is knowing what to replicate and what to leave. Archiving everything available can mean greater expense, but being selective can increase the risk of losing information. The rule of thumb is that, as a minimum, any backed-up data should be capable of restarting business operations from scratch.

Define Acceptable Downtime 

The amount of downtime that a company can feasibly take varies considerably depending on the company’s size and the products or services it provides. Think about how a disaster could affect your company, then decide on the steps that you’d need to take in different potential scenarios. In most cases, a few minutes of downtime rarely constitutes a total disaster, so focusing on recovery plans that can get systems back up and running as quickly as possible will help keep losses as low as possible. Cloud-based technology can be very helpful in such disaster scenarios since data is off-site and services stay operational even if your physical location is impacted.