Reader Feedback: November
Commenting on the CEO Corner article “Successfully Transforming An Organization: An Active Approach”:
“Excellent article! It is exactly what I have experienced through multiple big transformation deals. It seems a lot of time companies are focusing on meeting the synergies’ target by cutting across the functions. Also, for each transformation there will be hidden costs, such as penalties for stopping contracts, expenses involved for technology alignment, as well as how non-GAAP items will impact cash flow.“
D., (prefers company name remain anonymous)
Dear Rob, In response to your August 2017 column “Has Your Company Ever Been Held For Ransom?”:
One of our scientists clicked on a spoofed email message, which resulted in every file on our file server being irreversibly encrypted. Attempting to open any file (MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) generated a message indicating that only for a fee could the file be unencrypted, and that trying to decrypt the file would result in its permanent destruction.
The ransom requests were traced to a Russian IP address, and we had the concerns that you describe with respect to there being no guarantee that paying a ransom would result in any (not to mention all) files being decrypted. So, we deleted all files from the server and restored them from the previous night’s backup copy. Fortunately, the backup (which is automatically performed every night) was not corrupted and, with the exception of a few hours’ work, no files were lost and no ransom was paid.
There are at least two lessons to be learned from this experience: 1) Check for actual sender addresses before clicking on any incoming email messages, and 2) Be certain that full data backups are being executed at frequent intervals. I hope your readers will benefit from reading about our experience.
M., Mountain View Pharmaceuticals
Rob,
It’s going to be very challenging for you to beat that July issue. The retired CEO wisdom was great, as was the article on the young CEOs. That summary on the 21st Century Cures Act was excellent, too. You guys are a step above. I always find something to stimulate thought.
P., Phlebotics
Bravo on your article and keep up the good work ... days are already long enough, and avoiding the level of negative chatter that exists in the general media today is a welcome change.
S., Maetrics
In response to the blog, “My Top 10 Quotes From David Hung, Axovant Sciences CEO”:
I worked for David, and there is nobody better at leading people from top to bottom.
Brian
To editorial board member Leslie Williams regarding her recent Ask The Board Q&A:
Leslie,
I wanted to let you know that I loved your biotech advice piece in Life Science Leader. It was great! As the CEO of a small biotech, I could not agree more. Helix Biomedix is a peptide-based (dermatology-focused) company. It’s a small world and an even smaller world of women CEOs, so congratulations on all your hard work.
R., Helix Biomedix, Inc.