While fighting cybersecurity may seem like an uphill battle to business owners, regional experts are adamant that the importance of protecting data will only increase as more and more users become reliant on technology.
Last week a panel of experts came together at the Synapse Summit, partaking in a session aptly named "Cybersecurity for Non-Techies." Here's some of the main takeaways from the panel:
Tampa is becoming a hub for cybersecurity in the state.
"I think cybersecurity is part of Tampa’s identity," Jeremy Rasmussen, Abacode's chief technology officer said. "This is the center of cybersecurity for the whole state."
"The other thing I'm starting to see is startups and the ecosystem grow," said Andy Swenson, a member on the Abacode Cybersecurity board of advisors. "With Tampa Bay Wave and other groups — with Synapse itself — you're seeing the change here. It was about bridging the divide, now it's about bringing people here."
To break into the cybersecurity industry, employees have to be willing to work hard — and employers have to be willing to train them.
"Cybersecurity analysts don’t grow on trees," Rasmussen said. "You have to be teaching them."
"I always tell people this is not a 9 to 5 job, it's a lifestyle," said Regine Bonneau, founder and CEO of RB Advisory LLC, which provides cyber risk management and security assessments. "It's constantly emerging, constantly evolving. You have to have the passion and want to learn more and be a self starter. You have to have that initiative, the entrepreneurial mindset. It's for the good of a whole and it's a service. You need to want to serve."
"And if your coming into to the industry, find out what your strong suits are now; it's not just technical, it's not just material. Different things are needed to make the cells move."
Go beyond what the state mandates for cybersecurity.
"In any industry you belong to, there is that common denominator: you are collecting data," Bonneau said. "One of the things you hear is 'data privacy.' It's one of the things we have to focus on, not just 'Do I fall under compliance?' At the end of the day we’re collecting information and we have to keep it secure."
"In any industry you belong to, there is that common denominator: you are collecting data. At the end of the day, we’re collecting information and we have to keep it secure."
"Other sectors that could be better are construction, manufacturing, retail, sales: they don’t necessarily have a governmental mandate, so they’ll slack off in security because they don't have to do it by law," Rasmussen said. "There has to be some best practices to put in place like continuous monitoring. There are some basic things you have to do and if you're not doing them, that's a foolish business practice."
Artificial intelligence is helpful for cybersecurity, but it's not everything
"There's a huge amount of hype around AI, there's no doubt," Swenson said. "Right now everything is AI. There is definitely value in it. Having a system to learn traffic patterns, learn what's good is very valuable and it helps us learn what is important. Does it mean we don’t have to pay attention anymore? Absolutely not. There's value in it, but it's not a silver bullet. It's not going to solve all your problems."
