It is quite difficult at the moment to concentrate on channel news. The everyday news is too much of a distraction and while business continues here in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, it puts everything into perspective.
There has not been that many references to the Ukraine crisis in the channel media as yet, but there are concerns about the potential for increased cyber-attacks. In a report on CRN’s UK site, Channelweb, Ian Brown of Irish security specialist Integrity360, warned that increased cyberwarfare activity will have a ripple effect and we’ll see more cybercrime.
As long ago as 14 February, a report on MicroScope / TechTarget said that the US The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a “shields up” advisory. The site has also been covering work done by Slovak security vendor ESET to identify new threats being used in the conflict.
Comms Dealer has run a story on how major European telcos are rolling out measures to try and help Ukrainians. It has also covered a statement made by Steve Osler, CEO of VoIP provider Wildix, in support of its teams based in Odessa.
Outside the channel media sphere there have been reports that the conflict could have an impact on technology product manufacturing and prices. There is a story on how the supply chain might be affected on ComputerWorld, and another on Wired. You don’t have to search too far to find more.
It’s understandable that most channel news sites are, for now, steering away from the subject. And channel companies are rightly being hyper-sensitive about the position they take publicly. But if the conflict does trigger more cyber-attacks, product supply constraints and price increases, it is hard to see how the channel media can avoid it. While these effects are nothing compared to what those directly involved in the conflict are experiencing – and any coverage must always be set within that context – they will potentially affect us all.