- Where is my data? ‍

‍ - What if I run out of Internet?

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These were questions that I was asked 10 years ago when I walked around hotels talking about cloud systems . These are perfectly legitimate questions that contain a set of important concerns for anyone who has the obligation to keep a business running. There was a deep concern in them about business continuity, an analysis of the risks underlying a given technology, considering how secure the business would be.

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However, time passed and the cloud was increasingly adopted. We increasingly see more technology present in all areas and activities of a hotel, more and more everything is interconnected via the network or the Internet , everything is more accessible, everything is or works better via the Internet. Now we have the Internet of Things (IoT – Internet of Things in its English version), artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR).

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Many hotels now have, in addition to IT management systems, many other systems that only work if connected to the network or the Internet: payment systems, reservation systems, lock systems, air conditioning systems, video surveillance, energy management systems And so on, the sky is the limit!

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So what about the concerns? Is the technology so mature and safe that it disappeared in 10 years?

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I feel that perhaps some of the concerns have disappeared, however with this increasing presence of technology in the hotel industry and in our lives, the truth is that the set of concerns should have increased. Is very.

I have always been committed to following this technological evolution and the concerns related to it, so the reinforcement of knowledge in the area of ​​challenges linked to cybersecurity and data privacy has always been present, seeking to anticipate the challenges that arise in the application of technology to the hotel industry and not only. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that I dedicate the space given to me on this blog to address these ( cyber ) concerns, seeking to unravel these challenges in the most direct way possible. I will also try to anticipate some of the technological and ethical issues, which are not so immediate, but which can and should be debated, clarified and matured before they have an impact on the business.  

In my opinion, to business continuity, security and privacy , which were already areas that a hotelier should understand, a new dimension is added, the dimension of technology and, therefore, the prefix cyber has become – or should become – part of the concerns strategic and operational. Here comes the cyber hotelier! Therefore, the hotelier must not only become familiar with the technology from the perspective of its use, but also understand its risk/benefit relationship, its impact on the business, developing its alignment with the strategic plan, never forgetting the respective legal framework. Some of these areas already have, or are in the process of being concluded, national and community legislation that frames the needs, obligations, responsibilities and penalties of natural and collective entities.

Regarding these topics, we must not forget that the different hotel systems have a very large set of data not only about their business, but also about their guests . On the other hand, it is necessary to bear in mind that the number of cyberattacks recorded in the hotel industry has been increasing since 2014 and that means that they are a target. In May this year, Bob Braun, a prestigious lawyer linked to the hotel industry for over 20 years and specialized in security issues, summarized in his article 5 key issues in hotel cybersecurity the conclusions of his participation in a panel discussion during Meet the Money Conference ^® , in Los Angeles and which can be summarized as :

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- Compliance is not security

- Informed response is better than immediate response

- Credit cards are not the only risk

- There is no cybersecurity without taking into account the human factor

- A cybersecurity culture is necessary in hotels

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So, now that I have left a hint of the challenges in question, this will be my starting point for the next articles, seeking to contribute to translating these issues into the hotel reality and pointing out ways for potential cyber hoteliers to solve these pressing challenges.

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