August Insights – A Real-Life MFA Lesson, an Online Safety App is Breached, and a Podcast on Unconventional Leadership
Happy August, friends.
As summer starts to wind down, we’re focused on helping you gear up for a strong start to fall. It’s that time of year when vacation season blends with planning season and staying proactive makes all the difference.
This month’s newsletter is packed with reminders to help you tighten up your security, lead with clarity, and avoid some common tech pitfalls we’re seeing out in the wild. I’m also sharing a few personal favourites: a leadership podcast that stuck with me, and a story that shows how trust and transparency go a long way inside any team.
Hope you enjoy the read — and the last stretch of summer!
Michael
Cybersecurity / Technology Articles
We talk about this as a hypothetical all the time, but here’s a real-world example. In this case, the lack of multi-factor authentication wasn’t the only issue — but it was the root cause of the breach. Because of that, the City of Hamilton’s insurance provider denied a $5 million cyber claim. This is exactly why we’ve been stressing the importance of safeguards like MFA and ongoing cybersecurity training for your team. Find out more about what happened here:
Insurance won’t cover $5M in City of Hamilton claims for cyberattack, citing lack of log-in security
It’s so disheartening to see a platform created to protect women’s safety online end up compromised. Tea was built as a dating safety app: a place for women to privately share concerns and flag unsafe encounters. But a recent misconfiguration exposed sensitive messages for over a year, including over 70,000 images and over 13,000 selfies and photo ID’s. It’s a tough reminder that even the most well-intentioned tools need strong security foundations.
Tea App Data Leak Worsens, Recent Sensitive Chats Exposed
Leadership & Personal Growth
Trust isn’t just a leadership buzzword — it’s the foundation for growth. This article, albeit a bit older but no less relevant, breaks down why consistency, vulnerability, and transparency are key to building trust on your team. That’s why we’ve been sharing more behind the scenes on LinkedIn lately: from our weekly WIRC meetings to our quarterly team breakfasts. I believe that giving people visibility into how we work builds confidence, and shows that we’re here to help our team grow, not just get through the week.
Why is Trust Important in Leadership?
No, this isn’t our usual article share; but this podcast episode is worth the listen. It’s a conversation with Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, on How I Built This. He talks about building a company accidentally, rejecting traditional business norms, and putting environmental purpose at the heart of everything. It’s honest, unconventional, and full of the kind of leadership lessons that stick with you.
How I Built This with Guy Raz (Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard)
Partner Spotlight – Huntress
Cybersecurity is one of those things our clients trust us to handle, and we take that responsibility seriously. That’s why we’ve partnered with Huntress. They’re an award-winning team we rely on to power the managed cybersecurity services built into every 365Care+ plan. With tools like EDR and ITDR running in the background, we know our clients are protected, and that gives everyone peace of mind, including us.
Huntress