The best medicine

I don’t know about you, but I am not in the best physical shape. I need to exercise more, stress less, sleep a bit longer each night, and I definitely should slow down a bit. I think the pace of the world is in overdrive. No one ever seems to have time. 

Luckily, with this unhealthy lifestyle I seem to be ok (well for the first 50 years), physically speaking that is (not sure about my tired grey matter). But occasionally I do get the flu. Not often. Like once every few years or so, and it never lasts more than a day or two. When I do feel the flu coming on a visit to the doctor is generally a good move, and I have a cool GP, so it is fun to see him every few years. He makes a lot of jokes, and we laugh a lot, and he tells me how lucky I am to be in good health. Yeah, right. 

Since turning 50 I have had a few things that have started acting up. I got a right knee that makes a crunching sound when I bend down, and a sore right shoulder that I am told is a bit of arthritis, and some other minor aches and pains. The doc says it is wear and tear. And yes, he also says that I need to exercise more and eat better, etc. If I want to be in a safe state of mind and body I better get with the program. I am painfully aware of this of late. 

What I am also discovering is that there are so many kinds of doctors. My GP is just the starting point. Each part of the body has a specialist doctor. And also, there are so many different kinds of medicines, for every part of the body, and for every different ailment. I read online that the pharmaceutical industry in the US is approaching 20% of the American GDP. Yup, medicine is big business. 

Now, imagine if all these different medicine manufacturers had to start calling me, and sending me marketing materials. That would be overwhelming. What would you do? You would call your doctor, and he would probably tell you to turn off your phone, and stop reading your email. We trust our doctor to advise us. That is what staying safe is all about. If we had to buy every medicine that was marketed to us, it would cost us a fortune, and we would most probably be no better off. In fact, taking the wrong medicine can be bad for you. 

Your doctor’s role is to understand what the real problem is, and by giving you an accurate diagnosis you also get some peace of mind. Being bombarded by pharmaceutical marketing can’t be good for one’s health, excuse the pun. 

What I am saying seems obvious, and I am sure you are with me. Now, let’s talk about something else that also requires well-being: your IT infrastructure. Like your body, you have to look after your computer systems, and this sometimes needs to be diagnosed and fixed. In this day and age of big data, making sure our servers are secure is no laughing matter. 

If you are worried about the state of your cyber security then join the club. With over 74% of all threats coming from the inside (look this up on Google) and with data privacy laws coming into play, there is a lot to be concerned about. There are “doctors” that can help. Consultants and specialists that can assess your infrastructure, and architect a solution, with affordable and appropriate medicine, that keeps your IT healthy. 

Have a check-up. Just like you would do for your body. Being proactive and having a medical examination every few years is a smart thing to do. The same with your IT infrastructure. Understand where the real threats and dangers are, and deal with it appropriately.

When it comes to cyber security there are vendors calling and marketing to you all the time. There is so much IT medicine on the market that it is confusing to say the least. 

Speak to your IT doctor – there are some good ones around and they are there to help you.