Most organizations put more resources toward identification, protection, and detection rather than their ability to respond to and recover from a cyber breach, leaving themselves vulnerable. But because companies can't protect against every new cyberattack, it's critical that they reduce the potential impact by putting more focus on cyber resilience. The authors describe how leaders can apply seven biology-inspired adaptive design principles to become more resilient against cyberattacks.
Few leaders will deny the importance of cybersecurity in their company's digital offerings. And yet, too often, security is an afterthought, addressed only after a product has already been designed. New research reveals three reasons why this happens, along with four steps leaders can take to change the behaviors of their development teams and move them toward a mindset of designing for cybersecurity.
This case explores the use of social media to support product design, customer support, marketing and HR activities at National Instruments (NI). Based in Austin, Texas, with over $1 billion in 2011 sales, NI designs, produces, and sells software and hardware platforms that simplify development of its customers measurement and control systems. Its customers, ranging from individuals (professors and their students) to large corporations, consist primarily of scientists and engineers-a pedigree shared by most NI employees. Since dedicating a full-time position to formalizing the use of social media tools in 2006, NI has infused social capabilities into its internal and customer-facing business processes, strengthening relationships and value delivered. NI's story deepens our understanding of how to build a social business strategy, create game changing innovation processes, and measure the value of its social technology investments-a key challenge facing the company. By touching on NI's history and culture, the case also allows students to consider what elements of this company's organization and culture have allowed it to build a robust social business model.
Continues the story of Mrs. Fields Cookies. Explores the new challenges the company faced managing its geographic growth and its expansion of products and markets through combination stores. Details the decision of Debbi and Randy Fields to delegate management responsibility.
Describes a small company selling freshly baked goods through privately owned specialty stores (each store sells only Mrs. Fields products). The company has about 8,000 employees worldwide and less than 150 information systems people for a unique leverage of MIS resources. The company uses information systems extensively in its processing, communications, and other management functions, including operations of the stores and hiring sales employees. Teaching objectives include discussion of information technology architecture, organizations, management control, and strategy. A condensed version of Mrs. Fields Cookies.