ARIZONA PANEL TO REVIEW COMPUTER SECURITY ISSUES ITB Articles
How cyber secure is your business?

Conference designed to educate small business owners on risks of apathy

If you are not sure your business or home is secure from cyber attacks, you could be putting yourself or your business in a vulnerable position.

“These attacks could result in a serious interruption of a business, compromised personal and business information and have significant financial, legal and insurance implications,” said Charlie O’Dowd, director of the Arizona Small Business Association for southern Arizona.

A Sept. 14 seminar could help answer any questions you have about cyber security.

The event is sponsored by ASBA, the Pima Community College Small Business Development Center and the Arizona Cyber Security Alliance.

One of the panelists is John Phelps, deputy director for the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. Phelps and the other panelists will present: Cyber Security is Your Business: Protect your Home and Workplace from Destructive Cyber Crimes, Security Threats, and the Growing Threat of Cyber Terrorism.

The breakfast event and security showcase run 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Westin La Paloma, 3800 Sunrise Drive.

Information will include how to prevent attacks and how to insure business continuity and recovery if information and systems are compromised.

Other panelists include: Steve Peters, president of the Community Information and
Telecommunications Alliance and co-chair, Arizona Cyber Security Alliance; Jeff Englander, detective, Pima County Sheriff's Department and member of the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force; John Messing, attorney, Law-on-Line Inc., and chair, Electronic Filing Committee, American Bar Association (ABA), and ABA representative to OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards; Terry Cropp, owner, Terry L. Cropp Insurance Agency, State Farm Insurance.

The panel will focus on business issues such as: security plans, policies and awareness programs for employees and families that promote safe computing practices; insurance protection that covers losses related to cyber attacks; backup, business continuity and disaster recovery plans in case of successful attacks and; new laws requiring due diligence to protect confidential information.

“Even small business and home users with a single computer are at risk from identity theft, destructive worms and viruses, hackers, cyber terrorism, spyware, phishing, computer theft, employee attacks, and more," Peters said.

“The reality is that it is getting more serious every day,” he said. “The kind of threats that are happening, it’s not just an occasional virus.”

The big questions business owners must ask, he said, is, “What would happen to your business if data is compromised?”

He said businesses need to ask if their business could survive or recover from a cyber attack.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a single computer or corporate network, you are at risk,” Peters said.

Peters said businesses also must realize that if they get attacked and they cannot complete contracts, they may be liable or may face other legal liabilities if confidential information is compromised. General business insurance, he noted, may not cover losses associated with cyber attacks.

People may register by visiting www.tucsonlink.org