What surprised me was the relatively minor number, as a percentage of registrants, that were small businesses. As I mentioned above, some attended -- but not many. And, as Kevin Keane pointed out during his keynote portion, “… on average, smaller businesses only have about $12,000 of cash on hand …” to respond and rectify cyber intrusions.
For me, that was an eye-opener. And, before I go further, if I were to look at our customer base, I need to clarify that when I say “businesses,” I actually mean “organizations.” Non-profits, charities and public-sector organizations are as ripe as any business as a target for cyber mischief. I made a point of showing that governments are realizing the need for cyber-security training, reinforced by the new laws the state of Illinois just passed.
Because large organizations do business, both as vendors and as customers, with smaller organizations. Said organizations can inadvertently transmit trouble electronically. The complete ‘ecosystem’ needs to be secure. As more information (proposals, purchase orders, invoices, media and electronic products, etc.) is shared among each organizations’ platforms and devices, the opportunity for cyber criminals to infiltrate increases. A quick plug: for companies that need to connect their world electronically, but are concerned about security, TriAxis can help.
Heightening my awareness even more, I reviewed UpGuard’s webinar, “Are Your Third Party Vendors Creating Uninvited Cyber Risk?,” a few weeks ago and realized organizational ecosystems expose infrastructures in too many ways. It makes you wonder “What’s next?”
Which goes back to where I started.
No business is too small to be hacked. Individuals get their identity stolen and, unless it’s happened to you, it’s hard to imagine how much that sucks, both for your reputation and your finances. Which was the point John Mumford made at the aforementioned webinar about organizational brand and reputation.
And what are small businesses?
Individuals working together with common goals and requirements. Having the server data “ransomed,” or having cash withdrawn unwittingly, not being able to communicate with your customers, etc., etc. can be precisely the reason your organization fails and you’re “between positions.” So even though the big companies get the press, it is the smaller organizations that are getting targeted because, according to the article, “they do little to protect themselves.”
Regardless of size or your budget, all personnel need to be trained.
The best way to do that is to engage with a company that does it for a living. Our recommended firm is IntePro, LLC and their brand, InteProIQ. Never has a customer we’ve directed to them been dissatisfied with the online training and programs they offer and, if you haven’t addressed training, or feel yours leaves something to be desired, I recommend you contact them. Candid disclosure: Kevin Keane, our keynote speaker about whom I mentioned above, is President and General Counsel with the firm.
Let me know what you think.
Tom Mumford is Co-founder, CEO & CTO for TriAxis, Inc.
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