Fortify SME Business Breakfast

This morning Business breakfast seminar on Cyber, Physical, Systems & Fraud Protection was an excellent collaboration between County Carlow Chamber of Commerce, the Local Enterprise Offices in Carlow and Kilkenny, Bank of Ireland and our neighbours Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce.  It featured industry experts speaking on key issues in relation to all aspects of business security.

Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise, Carlow Local Authority opened the event, followed by guest speakers from the Bank of Ireland, Netwatch, Business IT Solutions, Security Risk Advisors and An Garda Siochana. MC Joanne Sweeney handled a lively Q&A when attendees got to ask questions on issues they were facing.  The event was also attended by Cathaoirleach Fergal Browne and Councillor John Pender.

The Role of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) was discussed by Sergeant Eoin O’Connell – GNCCB, An Garda Síochána, who gave us insights into the current cyber landscape and practical safety tips to protect your business and employees.

Sinead McCaul of Bank of Ireland, talked us through Fraud Protection in Financial Transactions giving valuable practical advice & supports on how to detect and mitigate financial fraud risks.

Stephen Burke of Security Risk Advisor discussed how to strengthen your cybersecurity framework,  and advised us to discover effective strategies to secure our digital assets and reduce vulnerability to cyber threats.

Colin Hayes of Netwatch spoke about enhancing physical security for SMEs and gave us actionable advice for the unique needs of SMEs in safeguarding their operations and premises.

Tom Walshe, Head of Cloud and Security Services, Business IT Solutions (BITS), advised us on best practices in systems protection and gave practical approaches to fortify your business systems against potential breaches.

Key take homes:

• statistics show it is not if you get attacked / hacked, but when – so preparation is key
• scammers are evolving and developing – so we need to be constantly updating our knowledge and systems
• train and inform your employees – and take a no blame approach, so employees can come forward quickly if they do click a link in error or fall foul of scammers
• consider a physical back up – or cloud back up in multiple locations
• take password selection and protection seriously with multi factor authentication
• be vigilant and verify unsolicited requests from providers or unusual requests from suppliers / providers
• don’t be rushed into something you haven’t had time to verify – if its rushed its likely a scam
• STOP, THINK, CHECK