Meet Sean Asp, Senior Director of Information Technology
October highlights the importance of strong cybersecurity, especially in food manufacturing where it’s critical to feeding the world. Meet Sean Asp, the senior director for information technology (IT) at Foremost Farms. Sean’s expertise ensures the seamless operation and security of Foremost Farms’ extensive technological infrastructure, critical in an industry that never shuts off the lights.
Please describe some highlights of your role within Foremost Farms:
At Foremost Farms, I lead the department that implements and manages various technology applications to solve business challenges and create sustainable solutions. Our IT team plays a critical role in ensuring information reaches the right people through the most effective channel – while making sure all those channels are working properly.
I’ve been fortunate to bring 25+ years of experience from various industries and apply all of it in my role here. At Foremost Farms, we’ve been able to execute cloud strategies, implement cybersecurity programs and begin a data and analytics journey to help us improve and transform all aspects of our business.
What is your favorite thing about working at Foremost Farms?
My favorite thing about working at Foremost Farms is partnering cross-functionally within the cooperative to solve business challenges using data, analytics and the best technology tools to optimize the business and our company’s operational performance.
Currently, I’m very excited to unlock the valuable time series data in our manufacturing facilities and begin our analytics insights journey. This has been a core passion of mine for nearly a decade now.
Cybersecurity is crucial to any business, but what role does it play in food manufacturing?
In the dairy industry, we work with a perishable product in constant supply – milk is always moving off the farm. As a result, our eight production facilities operate 24/7, 365 days a year. Behind the scenes, a robust technological infrastructure is essential for keeping processes, privacy and production running smoothly, especially in such a fast-paced environment.
A cyberbreach could disable all of it and bring Foremost Farms to a complete standstill. We have seen this already occur with many of our peers and other companies within our state.
Any disruptions can have significant ripple effects on the entire food chain – leading to severe consequences. Our customers rely on our award-winning products to arrive on time and in specific formats for further processing. A hack or technology breakdown could result in food supply shortages, customer dissatisfaction and long-term business challenges.
What are some advancements in cybersecurity? And how can people implement these to protect themselves online?
Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) have been critical for Foremost Farms. We process over 200 million security data points weekly, making around-the-clock protection tools essential to our success. Adding biometric security measures to our multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as fingerprint and facial recognition, has significantly enhanced security. These measures are beneficial across various industries, not just food manufacturing.
Currently, the most important thing you can do to protect yourself at work and home is to have an MFA on your work and personal accounts. Using new biometric security technologies, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, can improve both the security and ease of use of these key MFA tools.
At Foremost Farms, we prioritize customer privacy as a key sustainability commitment. Why are sustainable IT practices so crucial to the organization’s success?
It’s simple—we need to be dependable. We play a crucial role in the food supply chain, with our products reaching all the way to consumers in restaurants or retail store shelves; and any delay or disruption can have significant consequences for both business customers and consumers. Any “successful” cyberattacks on the food manufacturing industry can affect the food supply chain we all rely on daily.
How do cybersecurity and sustainability relate to each other?
There are two critical aspects to consider. First, our production facilities must remain operational and efficient – given the perishable and continuous nature of our products. We need to be constantly available to both our customers and employees, ensuring we can fulfill customer orders and maintain our reputation as a reliable employer within the communities we serve.
Second, safeguarding our customers’ data and Foremost Farms’ proprietary information is paramount. We need to have the tools and protection in place to keep it out of the wrong hands.
By focusing on these areas, we foster sustainable relationships, allowing us to continuously advance and improve.
October is cybersecurity month – Why is this a good time to remind people to be safe online and what resources are there for further education?
In today’s digital world, everything we do leaves a digital footprint, creating opportunities for disruption and malicious activities. However, by staying cybersmart and vigilant, we can significantly reduce the risk of cyberattacks.
America’s Cyber Defense Agency offers helpful resources to assist with online safety for individuals and families.
How does Foremost Farms educate and arm each employee with cybersecurity initiatives?
At Foremost Farms, we are dedicated to achieving a commitment to cybersecurity that goes beyond mere compliance. We do this by transforming our culture and narrative, expecting every employee to play a critical role in ensuring the ethical use of any data they manage. We’ve implemented and invested in various training tools, equipping our employees with the knowledge to counter the latest threats.
For a complete overview of our commitment to cybersecurity and data protection, please view our 2022 sustainability report here.