Cybersecurity Front and Center at Small Business Solutions Hub
With cyber threats posing an ever-increasing risk to businesses large and small, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce hosted Cybersecurity: Protecting your Business at the Chamber Depot on June 21. The program was part of the Chamber’s quarterly Small Business Solutions Hub program, which aims to connect small business owners with resources and tools for success.
Attendees filtered in around 11:30am, and were treated to a light networking lunch. After opening remarks by Paige Walters, the Chamber’s Director of Advocacy & Economic Development, and Colleen Lawson of Kaiser Permanente, the program’s title sponsor, Walters introduced the first presenter, Charles LaBorn, President and Chief Technology Officer at Partnered IT Solutions in Eugene.
LaBorn delivered an information-packed 20 minutes of high-level strategies for asset protection in business technology. He was quick to point out ransomware and crypto viruses as a growing threat, and how it is becoming imperative to have a plan in place for a cybersecurity breach. Some takeaways from LaBorn’s presentation include:
The importance of risk assessment – not just identifying key operational systems that are needed to run your business, but an evaluation of potential vulnerabilities in those systems.
Your employees are on the front lines, and the ones most likely to cause or allow a security breach. As the first line of defense, employees need to be consistently updated on cyber threats, which are constantly evolving.
Maintaining firewalls, and automated systems like VPNs (Virtual Privacy Networks) that constantly scan your software for threats; being vigilant about simple barriers to breaches, like strong passwords, double-factor authentication, and software updates.
AI and predictive modeling can provide automation to keep processes efficient – but automated processes that may protect your business can also be potentially harmful.
The program then crossed over into the milieu of cyber insurance, and the program’s second speaker, Pete Olson, VP of Property and Casualty at USI Insurance Services.
Olson began by identifying cyber threats as a top global risk in 2024, as well as how companies of all sizes and sectors may be targeted. A stark reminder: third-party vendors and services, such as those that allow your business to accept credit cards, are not responsible if your data is breached; the responsibility lies solely with the business owner. Cyber insurance can be a solution to this vulnerability.
“What are your ‘crown jewels?’ And do you have backup data? Endpoint detection, VPN, and multi-factor authentication – if you don’t have those things, insurance is going to be two, three, four, [possibly] 10 times as expensive … or unavailable to you.”
– Peter Olson, VP of Property & Casualty, USI Insurance Services
Olson went on to explain that, while cyberinsurance has become a fairly standardized and inexpensive safeguard, it can be difficult to understand exactly what you are getting. Among other things, he delves into various types of coverage costs; the difference between first- and third-party coverages; and what to avoid when dealing with a broker.
The presentations were followed by a short Q&A session.
Many thanks to the attendees and our featured speakers, Charles LaBorn from Partnered IT Solutions and Peter Olson from USI Insurance Services. Thank you as well to USI Insurance Services for sponsoring the lunch portion of the event.
The Chamber would also like to thank their Small Business Solutions Hub title sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, as well as their investors, Ask Erik Computer Services, Belfor Property Restoration, Chambers Construction, Eugene Area Radio Stations (EARS), Hershner Hunter, OCCU, and WaFd Bank.
Please enjoy the video of the full program embedded below; also available on the Small Business Solutions Digital Hub under the Springfield Chamber Resource Library.
About Small Business Solutions Hub
The Small Business Solutions Hub is a digital resource designed to connect small business Chamber members to a network of local experts and partners, business advising services, and a library of Chamber education tools. The hub will evolve to meet local needs with quarterly business education programming, and information from local investor partners.
