2021 - The rules are different now.

Thread.

Polarization. People had more time than ever in 2020, and did less research for themselves. I had less time and I still had time to fact check things. I took very little on faith.

This tribalism will cause issues securing businesses in 2021.

We are supposed to be a trusted point of authority. However, people will have had a year of blind trust to whatever authority figure best aligned with their emotions.

The trust we earned will have been eroded through no fault of our own.

Now we face a new willingness to doubt or fight us from end users. More than ever, we need to be patient and leave emotion in the car. They may wrap themselves in emotion. We’ve been here before. Be patient, be clear, don’t bullshit. Let them wear their emotions out.

Some may be afraid. Everything will be a foreign hacker. Be the wall of confidence they can lean against.

Some may believe their invincible, that hackers are a bogeyman (or only from China). This is why we have detection and monitoring. YOLO users systems get extra scrutiny.

Leadership will want to check every point of access a supplier has. Learn from #SUNBURST , but it shouldn’t be the overriding concern. Phishing, poisoned ad networks, and watering hole attacks are still a bigger concern.

Do the needful, but don’t become myopic.

Figure out the local businesses important to you. Prioritize your favorites. Help them open strong - post vaccine saturation.

Take care of those who took care of you.

And finally, take some time for yourself. I rolled over all my 2020 vacation into 2021. Take time for friends and family. Go someplace with wide open spaces, a place you’ve never been before. Get out of your own head.

The year plus of COVID will be unique in modern history. We learned that we can’t rely on our fellow citizens. The rules are burdensome as soon as it gets in the way of their desires, whether churching or protesting or drinking.

There is solace in this.

Like Henry’s army at Agincourt, those who did the right thing will come through knowing how strong they stood. They will see the rest of the citizenry as they are. There is a confidence knowing one will survive where another will crumble.