Cybersecurity Educational Forum: 3 Big Takeaways

On Wednesday, October 12th, we hosted our first back-in-person Educational Forum at the Keizer Community Center. The topic: cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity and cybercrime are growing concerns for more businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations. As more valuable data is collected and stored, more cybercriminals find more creative ways to hack, steal, and profit from that data.

Our panel of experts from the City of Keizer, Comcast Business, and Hunter Communications offered many pieces of advice to the lunchtime crowd. Here are the three biggest takeaways from their presentions.

#1: Invest in Cybersecurity BEFORE the Attack

Cybersecurity should be a line item in your budget just like water and electricity. Without it, you may end up spending much more to retrieve stolen data and replace compromised hardware.

#2: Train Your Staff 

Cybercriminals mostly break into systems by taking advantage of human error. Keep every member of your staff trained up on the latest best practices and newest scams.

#3: Use Long, Complex Passwords

Longer and more intricate passwords are harder for criminals (and the nefarious software programs they use) to guess. Guard your passwords well and never repeat a password across multiple services.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event. Thank you to our presenters. And thank you to our event sponsor, Oregon State Credit Union. 

Check the SEDCOR event calendar for upcoming Educational Forums and other events.