SCORE Seminar on Cyber Security for Small Businesses to Be Held at Central Library, March 14

On Monday, March 14, 2016, the Central Library will host a program for small business owners titled "6 Ways to Secure Your Business Data."  The program will be held from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of the library’s Linn-Henley Research Building. The program is sponsored by the local chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), a nonprofit organization committed to providing mentoring to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The program presenters will be computer specialists from Sawyer Solutions, a local IT services company.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event;jsessionid=70AB1A818D06C1531B7C600ABFE32CC4?llr=qlarezcab&oeidk=a07ec9zob8i2b6a060f.

Starting and operating a small business has always been a challenging undertaking, but adding to that challenge these days is the 21st century problem of cybersecurity. Frequently, small business owners think that, due to the size of their operations, they will not fall victim to the same kind of data hackers and online intruders that threaten big corporations. A recent survey conducted by Nationwide Insurance Company, however, indicated that nearly 65% of small businesses in the United States have experienced a computer information security breach. Still, many small business owners continue to operate under the assumption that they are not a cyber-target and, therefore, do not take the necessary steps to properly secure their IT systems. Unfortunately, the consequences of this oversight can be devastating.

Since forming as an LLC in the Birmingham area in 2011, Sawyer Solutions has provided data security services and consultation to a variety of businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to security concerns, Sawyer Solutions is also engaged in providing its clients with a full range of IT services, including network infrastructure management, hardware and software maintenance, website design, database construction, and data recovery.

Jim Murray
Business, Science and Technology Department
Central Library