Maersk implements a “phased approach” to update IT solutions after cyber attack

Shipping giant, Maersk, experienced every company’s worst nightmare, just last week. Their IT systems were exposed to a virus, which created multiple-day delays and a decent amount of concern amongst shareholders.

Maersk has handled the situation in a professional and calm manner. They’ve assured shareholders and the public that they are taking preventative steps to avoid another mishap, of this proportion, within their IT machinery. However, with a company as big as Maersk, this means updating thousands of applications across a user base of tens of thousands.

The company was up and running again just days after the cyber attack. “In the coming days our focus remains on getting back to being fully operational across the business with the expectation to have all applications and users fully functional to serve you within a week,” said Maersk in a statement (SCMR 2017).

Maersk is a company that prides itself on supply chain transparency, and they provide such a guarantee thanks to the complexity and interconnectivity with their vessels and digital platform. These are the kinds of mishaps companies can expect when embracing the digital transformation of the supply chain.

While there is risks associated with compiling/providing so much information via a digitally functioning operation, this is the direction that global business is moving towards. Maersk’s shareholders may be concerned about the cyber safety of their supply chain now, but in reality, the logistics guru is far ahead of the curve when it comes to optimization through supply chain tech and cyber security. This is a learning experience for Maersk, and one that will aid them to develop a more complex and more transparent digital supply chain platform.

“Our overriding goal is to get back to an absolutely safe operation. To successfully serve our global customers we run 1,500 applications which need to be brought up one by one in the correct sequence and enable 49,000 end users across 500 locations. This all takes time, but we continue to work through it with perseverance and absolute commitment, remarked Maersk” (SCMR 2017).

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