QIAGEN
How QIAGEN ’ s cybersecurity expert is working to stay one step ahead of cyber attackers
Prevention is better than cure . Today , this old adage not only applies to health but also to the welfare of successful organisations like biotech pioneer QIAGEN which is placing cybersecurity under the microscope and top of its agenda . This invisible threat landscape , which is growing exponentially , means the role of Dr Daniel Schatz , Chief Information Security Officer of QIAGEN , is more important than ever as he works to protect the assets of the global provider .
German-based QIAGEN offers “ sample to insight solutions ” that unlock molecular insights encoded in the building blocks of life - working with more than 500,000 clients - and are currently focusing on rapid tests to stay one step ahead of COVID-19 and using trace RNA evidence to solve crimes .
As we sit down to talk to Schatz from his office near Dusseldorf , he admits the role of cybersecurity experts has historically been low-key but this looks set to change . “ The threat landscape has definitely evolved in the past years . Attackers are ruthless and will take advantage of any oversight .”
The analogy of an ancient Chinese doctor who was paid to keep a person well and did not receive any money if they became sick , springs to mind as the role of today ’ s CISO in global companies are now in the spotlight following high-profile cyber attacks on both the Colonial Pipeline , which supplies 45 % of the US East Coast ’ s fuel and JBS Foods , the world ’ s largest meat supplier .
78 October 2021