“Technology shouldn’t scare us because it allows us to carry out tasks which would normally require greater effort.”

Sometimes it feels like we’re living in a futuristic world, using words that not even the Oxford Dictionary of English could have thought of 20 years ago. Then again, time has moved on, as has the OED.

The word “digital” has taken centre stage in our everyday life – as have many other words which stem from the world of IT: social, blockchain, follower, cybercriminal, ransomware, etc. Wherever you look, there they are.

Technology has seeped into our work and private lives. If we were to lose it, for even a second, we’d feel like savages. Technology shouldn’t scare us because it allows us to carry out tasks which would normally require greater effort. Having said that, we should focus on how it’s used. This is where the human component plays a role. Take a ransomware attack, and how it cripples countless of systems. These attacks are, more often than not, camouflaged in what we believe is a reliable email attachment. Unbeknownst to us, our PC will download a software to encrypt every file. This allows cybercriminals to ask for a ransom to “release” the files.

And what about digital currency, i.e. Bitcoin and anonymous transactions? This is just one example of many illustrating how potential negative consequences result from a wrong or rash choice. In hindsight, the human element is indispensable.

Digitization is a word you find across different sectors. Essentially, it means converting a paper format into an electronic document. Normally this means a PDF which cannot be edited with an e-signature. Even such a simple act as scanning requires a person. Selecting the wrong button on a scanner will process the document differently – this will lead to a wrong scanning and archiving procedure, resulting in the potential risk of sensitive documents seen by unauthorised people.