Blinn and TEEX partner to offer cybersecurity workshop for small businesses, executives

Workshop helps executives and business owners protect their business from cyber threats

December 13, 2018

In today’s online business environment, small businesses face a variety of challenges in protecting their customer and employee data. To help small business owners and other business executives navigate today’s cybersecurity challenges, the Blinn College District and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Cyber Readiness Center are offering a four-hour Cybersecurity for Business Executives workshop Friday, Jan. 11, at the RELLIS Campus.

Designed to help business leaders understand the vital role cybersecurity plays in their business operations, the $79 workshop covers the steps companies can take to keep themselves safe from hackers, malware, viruses, and infections. Registration is available online at https://cyberready.org/events/executive-workshop.

Hosted from 8 a.m. until noon at Blinn’s Walter C. Schwartz Building, the workshop provides information regarding the cybersecurity threats, regulations, and impacts a business is exposed to in today’s interconnected operations. Course discussions are designed to provide executives with a better understanding of the risks their organization may be exposed to, and how they can manage and mitigate those risks. The course provides guidance outlining the protective measures needed to protect their organization from cyber threats.

“As our global economy increasingly relies on data and information, cybersecurity has become a vital aspect of an organization’s business plan,” said John M. Romero, TEEX Knowledge Engineering Program Director and course instructor. “In today’s environment, executives must recognize the threat cyberattacks pose to their business and the steps they must take to protect their customers’ and employees’ data.”

Businesses across the nation remain vulnerable to cyberattack. Research shows that:

• 87 percent do not have a formal written internet security policy for employees,
• 69 percent lack an informal policy,
• 59 percent do not have a contingency plan outlining procedures for responding and reporting data breach losses, and
• 60 percent do not have a privacy policy for use when handling customer or employee information.

The need for cybersecurity is not limited to large businesses.  In 2016, 36 percent of cyberattacks were aimed at small businesses and that number is expected to grow.  It is well known that large companies are devoting resources to harden their cybersecurity capabilities meaning cyber criminals will prey on the easier opportunity of small business. The Cybersecurity for Business Executives training has been designed to help the small- to medium-sized business be less vulnerable to a cyberattack. Course topics include:

• business implications of a cyber incident,
• cyber threats,
• data protection,
• industrial control systems,
• the internet of things,
• cyber attack response and recovery,
• legal regulations and implications,
• supply chain considerations,
• developing a cybersecurity program, and
• available resources.