A secure democratic Net is a fundamental right

it isn't official

but when police officers start patrolling with their bulletproof jackets on in train stations and you know that the attacks yesterday in India were made by a group that could be linked to the terror video that was sent to the media, it is maybe time to think a bit on forehand

so we heighten the terror awareness ourselves a bit. These are the following 5 essential questions to ask yourself.

How good is your physical security around your building and what is the physical protection of your datacenter ? Have you done already a social engineering penetration testing ? How many layers of security are there between the entrance and the most critical parts of the building ? How good do you know your external contractors ?

When did you test your evacuation procedures and how long does it take to get all your support contracts and replacement contracts activated - even if that is virtually (but with a real clock). Do you have a crisis communication plan in order that can be activated if necessary and by which you can reach and inform each employee or call them to go to a specific place - even if they are on holiday ?

How good is your backup and how far is it from your main sites ?

Do you have telework procedures and infrastructure so you can continue to function if your buildings aren't accessable anymore (for a limited or longer duration) ?

Seems maybe an exaggeration, but maybe this period of the year is becoming the traditional time of the year to test disaster and anti-terrorism plans.

By the way we will be the last person in Belgium to criticize anyone that heightens the terrorism alert level in Belgium after the attacks in India, astonishing as they are in their effectiveness, planning and coordination. The modern terrorists are led by intelligent people that take the time to prepare and plan an attack in all its details. You should never underestimate them. No panick, just be prepared and ready to intercept, stop or coordinate when necessary. This is the only way they won't win this war they have declared on us.