Empowering Small Businesses with Online Security Tool

Federal Communications Commission unveiled Chairman Julius Genachowski convened a roundtable event with leaders from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors to deliver the latest and most effective cybersecurity strategies to small business owners across the country. The event took place at the start of National Small Business Week.

The FCC also unveiled a new webpage (www.FCC.gov/cyberforsmallbiz) devoted to being a resource for small businesses owners on issues related to cybersecurity. In addition, the agency released a Cybersecurity Tip Sheet, which outlines the top ten ways entrepreneurs can protect their companies – and customers – from cyberattack.

Participants included former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff; Ann Beauchesne, Vice President National Security & Emergency Preparedness Department, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Al Kinney, Director, Defense Cyber Security Capabilities, HP Enterprise; Chanelle Hardy, Senior Vice President for Policy, National Urban League; Cheri F. McGuire, VP, Global Government Affairs & Cybersecurity Policy, Symantec; Dave Notch, Chief Information Security Officer, Thomson Reuters; Ken Yancey, CEO, SCORE; and Maurice Jones, CEO and CFO of Parkinson Construction Company.

Addisitional partnership initiatives:

• The FCC is partnering with U.S. Chamber of Commerce, McAfee, Symantec, SCORE and the National Urban League to distribute the Cybersecurity Tip sheet widely to small business owners across the United States through blogs, social media and outreach to businesses.
• The FCC is partnering with the SCORE eBusiness Now Program to provide cybersecurity expertise at SCORE events for small business owners around the country, plus at a focused cybersecurity event to be held at FCC HQ later this year.
• The FCC is working with key Education Partners to ensure that the FCC training efforts and materials are tailored to a diverse range of small business owners and to assure wide distribution. Organizations include National Urban League, National Congress of American Indians, LULAC, LISTA, National Black Chamber of Commerce, and National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
• FCC Joining Federal Government Cybersecurity Partnership and Campaign: The FCC is joining the public/private National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) partnership led by NIST. The NICE partnership runs the Stop. Think. Connect. Campaign, which is designed to raise awareness among the American public about the need to strengthen cybersecurity—and to generate and communicate new approaches and strategies to help Americans increase their safety and security online.