It’s no secret that technology is all around us. From how we do our jobs, and organize our social life, to communicating with loved ones and expanding our minds — technology plays a huge role in the modern human experience.
But just because it is everywhere, does not necessarily mean it’s secure— and it’s the job of Ben Collar to try and reduce this risk. “There are a lot of challenges in the world with cybersecurity,” he says. “The whole world is reeling from the implications that we have integrated technology into everything and everywhere. We’ve done so because we want to get value fast, but we’ve done that without realizing there’s a lot of risk.”
As Head of Cyber Security for Region Europe at Siemens Power Generation Service, Ben’s work centers around verifying that the right person is trying to access any given piece of technology. For instance, if you wanted to give the ability to ambulances to connect up with a traffic light to give them a quicker route to hospital, you’d have to ensure the system is secure enough so that only ambulances can make this request, and not just any person in their car. “You have to have a valid key on your device that the manufacturer gave you, that says you’re an ambulance. Then that has to be received correctly on the traffic light’s side, so it will do as commanded.”
Other examples might be in the world of connected homes — how do you ensure bad actors cannot access your home, your various pieces of personal information or devices such as your connected baby monitor? In health, the task of protecting personal medical records and ensuring no one other than the doctors and the patient can access internet-enabled devices such as pacemakers, is no mean feat. “We are seeing an increase in concern around healthcare devices being manipulated in a way that doesn’t lead to positive results”.
With technology advancing so quickly, and both good and bad actors in the field moving the industry forward, it can be hard to stay on top of what’s coming, and build solutions ahead of the need for them to be used. In his current position, Ben leads a team of security professionals who help protect energy facilities in Europe. Using advanced research from Siemens’ research division, Corporate Technology, they ensure power stations and other types of energy producers stay one step ahead of attackers.
For Ben, the job of protecting us from weakness inherent in some of the technology infused in our lives is not just an engineering task, but also a chance to pause for reflection. “I think it’ll be valuable for everyone to make more careful choices: how much of your life do you decide to put in your phone? How much do you decide to let people know what you’re doing and where you live? We’ve all rapidly taken up technology — we sleep with it — it’s in our dreams and under our pillows. It would be wise to be more mindful of how much it influences us and what we’re exposing ourselves to.”
And when you ask Ben about his own history — it’s easy to see why he thinks more of the human than the tech. “I have a degree in computer science from the University of New Mexico. As a Grad, my wife and I moved an hour and a half out of Santa Fe in the desert, at the foot of some mountains. The hut we lived in was made out of adobe and it had a tree in the middle that held it up,” Ben explains. “Both of us grew up in the desert and are both attracted to nature — and in New Mexico, nature is what it’s really about. So when we had the opportunity to live on some real land that was underdeveloped and rocky, with cactus growing all over, we jumped at it.”
It seems Ben’s rationale for working on technology at Siemens is less to do with the tech itself, and more to do with meaningful work. “I joined Siemens primarily because it seemed like a good way to explore the world, on the basis of doing business and participating in creative value. I can also work on things that matter — for instance I worked on fire safety systems for a few years. Hardly much matters more than saving people’s lives because you tell them to exit the building.”
With a passion for the natural world, and a career protecting the digital one, Ben believes we all need to be more mindful about our relationship with technology, and the privacy we are far too readily compromising. “With privacy, it’s less about not being a criminal, and more about having some individual integrity, and being able to choose what you want to convey to others.”
But how does Ben maintain control in a world of complex data privacy terms and conditions, alongside the desire to have a good, technologically enabled life? “I balance it internally because I’m making the choice actively. That’s what I do with my phone — I enjoy playing a location-based game where I’m giving up information on where I am. It’s a trade-off, and it’s different when you do this consciously.”
Cybersecurity is only going to continue to be crucial as our world becomes even more technologically advanced. But it seems it’s in fact people themselves who also have some exploring and self-reflection ahead, if we’re to keep our digital human experience safe for all.
For Ben, it boils down to something quite simple: “I think it’s just good if everyone started questioning.”
Ben Collar is Head of Cyber Security for Region Europe at Siemens Power Generation Services , Germany. He grew up in New Mexico in North America, and now lives in Berlin, Germany, with his wife and his daughter. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Animation: Andrei Verioti
