The Blinn College District and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Cyber Readiness Center will host a special lunch and learn event Friday, March 29, designed to show local businesses and organizations how cybersecurity can impact them.
The lunch and learn event, Why Cybersecurity Matters to Your Organization, will take place from 11:30am to 1pm in Student Center Room F-140 on the Blinn-Bryan Campus.
“Because large organizations have the staff and technology, they are no longer the primary target of cyber criminals – small businesses are,” says Scott Terry, TEEX associate division director. “This event is a good first step to protect your organization by learning the risks and what you can do to reduce your vulnerabilities.”
The presentation, delivered by representatives from the TEEX Cyber Readiness Center, outlines the basics of cybersecurity, including:
- What cybersecurity, cyberattacks, and social engineering are
- The business and personal impacts of cyberattacks
- How businesses and organizations can defend themselves
Businesses across the nation remain vulnerable to cyberattacks. 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
- 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. According to a 2018 Verizon data breach investigations report, 58 percent of malware attack victims are small businesses. According to the Ponemon 2017 State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium Businesses report, cyberattacks cost small- and medium-sized businesses an average of $2.2 million.
“Cyberattacks on small and medium enterprises may not attract the same media attention as those on large organizations, but they represent just as great a danger to those entities,” says Max Hibbs, Blinn dean of mathematics, business, engineering and technology. “Blinn is proud to partner with TEEX to share this valuable information with our community.”
Registration for the lunch and learn is $10 and is available online at www.cyberready.org/event/cybersecurity-lunch-learn.
In addition to the presentation, attendees can learn more about TEEX and Blinn’s upcoming four-hour workshop, Cybersecurity for a Small/Medium Business. That workshop will take place from 8:30am to 12pm on Friday, May 17, at Blinn’s Walter C. Schwartz Building on the RELLIS Campus.
Designed to help business leaders understand the vital role cybersecurity plays in their business operations, the $79 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 also provides guidance outlining the protective measures needed to protect their organization from cyber threats.
For more information regarding the March 29 lunch and learn event or the May 17 workshop, contact the TEEX Cyber Readiness Center at cyberready@teex.tamu.edu or (800) 541-7149.
