Season 5 - Episode 43: Connected. Trusted. Forgotten?
We connect new tools, introduce smarter systems and automate more of our work. Once everything is running smoothly, we move on to the next thing.
But the connections remain.
And while we continue building, the technology we've already adopted keeps evolving. Software gains new capabilities. AI agents gain access to information and tools across our organisations. What was originally connected for one purpose may enable something entirely different today.
So how often do we revisit what we've already learned to trust?
In this special edition of Simply Briefed, we explore how digital security, AI autonomy and resilience shape our ability to innovate without losing control.
Key topics in this episode
Why trusted technology needs to be reassessed as its capabilities evolve
How agentic AI changes the relationship between access and action
Why security should be part of product development from the beginning
The importance of digital competence, preparedness and resilience
How better security can create confidence to innovate
Episode 44: Connected. Trusted. Forgotten?
– With Hanna Linderståhl, Stig Myklebust, Verner Hølleland and Steven Antoniou
This week’s episode
In this special edition of Simply Briefed, host Kristine Lium brings together insights from three previous conversations featuring four experts in cybersecurity, technology and digital resilience.
Cybersecurity advisor Hanna Linderståhl explores everyday digital exposure, security in product development and the importance of learning from incidents. Stig Myklebust from Lenovo discusses our increasingly connected environments and the knowledge needed to navigate them.
Verner Hølleland, Project Manager at NTNU's Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, brings perspectives on changing security requirements, risk assessment and organisational preparedness. Steven Antoniou from Lenovo explores how AI agents are changing what connected systems can access and do, and why visibility and safeguards matter.
Together, their perspectives raise a broader question: how do we continue developing new capabilities while maintaining an understanding of the systems and connections we've already created?
When trusted technology changes
We tend to trust technology because it works. A new application solves a problem, an integration makes a workflow more efficient and a system becomes part of our everyday operations.
But the technology doesn't stop developing.
Steven Antoniou highlights how AI capabilities can appear within software that organisations have already approved and used for years. New features are introduced, familiar platforms become more capable and existing security decisions may no longer reflect what those systems can do.
The question is no longer only whether we trust the technology. It's whether we understand its capabilities today.
When access becomes action
Agentic AI takes us beyond tools that simply respond to instructions. By connecting to information, applications and other systems, AI agents can perform actions on our behalf.
Steven illustrates this through a comparison with traditional tools. An axe doesn't start working on its own when someone puts it down. An AI agent, however, can continue working towards a goal using the tools and access it has been given.
That creates new possibilities, but also raises important questions.
What can an agent access? What actions can it perform? Can we see what it's doing, and can we intervene when necessary?
Understanding whether a system completes its assigned task is one thing. Understanding what becomes possible through its connections is another.
Building security into what we create
As technology makes it easier to develop new products and services, security can become something businesses plan to address later.
But cybersecurity advisor Hanna Linderståhl challenges that approach.
Through her work with startups and entrepreneurs, she emphasises the importance of considering security from the beginning. How will information be handled? Who should have access? And what safeguards need to be in place?
She also shares an example from everyday life, where smart plugs connected to a household Wi-Fi network raised questions about the devices' origins, data handling and access.
Whether we're developing a digital product or connecting a device at home, the underlying challenge is similar: understanding what we're connecting and the implications of that connection.
Digital resilience goes beyond protection
Even well-designed systems can encounter unexpected problems. Technology evolves, new risks emerge and security measures that worked yesterday may no longer be sufficient.
Verner Hølleland highlights the importance of regularly reviewing risk assessments and preparing for incidents. Organisations need to understand their vulnerabilities, identify critical functions and ensure they can recover when something goes wrong.
Hanna also draws a comparison with aviation, where incident reporting helps people understand mistakes and prevent them from happening again.
The same willingness to share experiences and learn from incidents can strengthen cybersecurity.
Digital resilience isn't simply about preventing every possible disruption. It's about being prepared to respond, recover and adapt.
Security that makes progress possible
Cybersecurity is often associated with restrictions. What we shouldn't access, which tools we can't use and what information we need to protect.
But Steven Antoniou offers another perspective.
When organisations have visibility into their systems and appropriate safeguards in place, employees can feel more confident experimenting with new technology.
Stig Myklebust and Verner Hølleland also highlight the importance of digital competence, comparing the knowledge needed to navigate connected environments with learning to drive a car.
As technology becomes more capable, our understanding needs to develop alongside it.
Security shouldn't simply define what we're not allowed to do. It should help create the conditions for people and organisations to explore new possibilities with confidence.
Are we keeping up with what we've built?
We're not going to stop connecting systems, introducing new tools or developing more capable technology.
And we shouldn't have to.
But as our digital environments evolve, we need to keep revisiting the assumptions, permissions and safeguards behind them.
What have we connected? What can those connections access? And do we understand what they're capable of doing today?
Because security isn't the opposite of progress.
It's part of what makes progress sustainable.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify!
Host: Kristine Lium
About the guests
This Simply Briefed Special Edition brings together four experts in cybersecurity, technology and digital resilience.
Hanna Linderståhl is a cybersecurity advisor with perspectives on digital exposure, secure product development and organisational resilience. Stig Myklebust and Steven Antoniou from Lenovo contribute insights into connected technology, AI agents and digital security, while Verner Hølleland, Project Manager at NTNU's Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, brings expertise in risk assessment, preparedness and digital competence.
Together, they offer different perspectives on how we can better understand, secure and adapt the increasingly connected digital environments we rely on.
👉 Listen to the full episode of Simply Briefed to explore how our connected systems are evolving, why digital security needs to evolve with them and how we can keep innovating without losing control.
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