Information Security for the Rest of Us

Practical advice for Small Businesses

Unless you’re a Home Depot, Target, Sony, or another large enterprise (Hilton most recently), your business suffering a data breach isn’t going to get the attention of mainstream media.

The truth is that the majority of data breaches within the United States emanate from small- and medium-sized businesses. Hackers are specifically targeting these smaller businesses because of the difficulty and cost associated with correlating a breach to a small business.

Technology is a complex subject and hackers rely on the fact that small businesses rarely have the resources to employ full-time personnel dedicated to technology and security. Combine that with the reality that unemployment amongst technology professionals in the Puget Sound region is the lowest in the country and the economics of hiring full-time IT staff with the
necessary expertise to manage your infrastructure quickly outweighs the benefits.

How do small businesses keep up?

In this Discovery Workshop, Brian Morkert, a local technology and security expert, discussed cost-effective solutions that any business can implement to protect you and your customers from Internet thieves. Brian works daily on the front lines combating Internet miscreants and helping clients design, implement, and manage cost-effective network security and technology solutions that align with business needs.

Topics included

  • How data breaches are identified
  • Security awareness training at work and home
  • Testing – what’s appropriate
  • Managed services and outsourcing
  • Today’s threats and recently in the news
  • Why traditional anti-virus doesn’t work and what does work
  • What to do if you suspect you’re a victim
  • Questions & answers