CRI’s Todt was joined at the two-day San Diego event by co-panelist Stan Stahl, president and co-founder of Citadel Information Group and moderator Kimberly Johnson, editor of WSJ Professional Products. CRI is partnering with the Wall Street Journal to sponsor the WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Symposium at other U.S. cities–Charlotte on March 9-10, Cincinnati on April 28-29, and Boston on June 25-26.
While small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often lack resources — financial and human capital — there are other ways they can be cyber ready that are free or low cost, such as outsourcing IT functions to a managed service provider, putting key business functions in the cloud, or, most importantly, investing in employee education and training.
While outsourcing can somewhat ease that burden, it’s not a panacea. “Outsourcing capability does not mean outsourcing responsibility,” Todt said. Companies should not be entirely detached from or unaware of the items they have outsourced, as the addition of a third party introduces other vulnerabilities, Todt added.
“Cyber Readiness is never a destination. It should empower each of us to take on responsibility to be secure and recognize the role cybersecurity plays in every organization,” Todt said.
In today’s interconnected world, everyone is a member of the cyber workforce. “What we do as individuals has a broad impact on the security of our nation,” Todt said. Global supply chains are deeply connected and interdependent, so one seemingly small breach can set off a chain reaction with serious consequences. “We have to create cultures of security that start with small businesses and go through the entire supply chain.”
CRI, a non-profit initiative, offers the Cyber Readiness Program, a free, easy-to-use, online tool created specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. You can find more information at becyberready.com.
