SecureTheVillage’s innovative LA Cybersecure Program Provides Education, Tools, and Coaching to Empower Small Businesses and Nonprofits to Defend Themselves in a way that, until now, only Big Businesses have Been Able to Achieve.

Los Angeles, February 19, 2024 – In October, 2023, in this press release, the Los Angeles nonprofit SecureTheVillage announced the LA Cybersecure Pilot Program to help teach small and midsize businesses and nonprofits how to understand, assess, and set their own roadmap to mitigate cybercrime. Five Participant organizations are participating in a community-based program to measurably improve their cybersecurity capabilities. Upon completion of the program, each Participant will receive a Cyberguardian™ Certificate of Completion.

On Wednesday, January 17, the Pilot officially kicked off the first Cohort. The meeting was led by Stan Stahl, PhD, Founder and President of SecureTheVillage. In that introductory meeting, the five small business and nonprofit participants got to know each other and their coaches. Stahl described the goals of the program and our strategy. He then turned the meeting over to Kelley Misata, PhD, founder and President of Sightline Security. The cohort is following Sightline’s proven Kickstart Program.

As described in October, the program is partially funded by the Center for Internet Security’s Alan Paller Laureate Program. The program aims to enhance cybersecurity practices among small organizations, equipping them to better defend against cybercrime. Small business and nonprofit Cohorts will complete the Sightline Security’s and Cyber Readiness Institute’s programs as part of their education.

The Program commences with a cybersecurity assessment conducted by Sightline Security. It is followed by a Certificate of Completion from the Cyber Readiness Institute. With these in hand, Participants will develop their own customized road map for improvements. The final 3 months of the program, Participants will work to implement these improvements.

 Who are some of the Participants in this Initial Cohort?

DLD Accountancy LLP, Certified Public Accountants: https://www.dldcpas.com

DLD Accountancy provides outstanding and meaningful guidance in the areas of income tax planning, tax return preparation, accounting, and business management services.

50 /50 Women on Boards™  https://5050wob.com

50/50 Women on Boards™ is on the forefront of a global movement committed to reshaping the corporate landscape. They are the leading nonprofit global education and advocacy campaign committed to advancing gender balance and diversity on corporate boards.

ProCAT: https://procat.com

ProCAT is the leading provider of computer-aided transcription software, Closed captioning, and electronic stenographic machines to the court reporting market.

One Item: https://www.oneitem.com

One Item is an organization with a core infrastructure platform supporting multiple branded apps with a variety of modules that help people and organizations improve on a specific part of their life.

 What Are Participants Saying about the Program?

We see the big companies in the news that get hacked, but we also know even though it’s not front-page news it happens to smaller businesses all the time.  We joined this program to expand our knowledge and devise a roadmap to be confident we are taking the right steps in cyber security to protect our business and clients. … DLD Accountancy

We recently experienced an email hack, and we NEVER want that to happen again.  It was a simple mistake, but it has been terribly disruptive and time consuming to address.  We hope to learn how best to protect our firm in the future and appreciate the opportunity to participate in this program.  … Anonymous Cohort Participant

 The Pilot Project Team

SecureTheVillage is a nonprofit on a mission to turn people and organizations into CyberGuardians ^TM with the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to meet the ongoing challenges of cyber crime, cyber privacy, and information security. Founded in 2015 by cybersecurity pioneer Dr. Stan Stahl, SecureTheVillage was recognized for its cybersecurity leadership by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2018.

Sightline Security: Based in Boston, MA, Sightline Security, a distinguished 501(c)3 nonprofit, envisions a world where nonprofits are fortified with the tools and knowledge to confidently champion cybersecurity. Dedicated to reshaping the narrative, Sightline’s KickStart program, based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, promotes a culture where cybersecurity best practices are integrated into daily operations.

The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) provides free, easy-to-use tools and resources to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) around the world become more secure and resilient. Their mission is to advance the cyber readiness of SMBs to improve the security of global supply chains. CRI emphasizes human behavior and employee education and awareness to create a culture of cyber readiness throughout an organization.

The Center for Internet Security (CIS®) is a community-driven nonprofit making the connected world a safer place by harnessing the power of the global IT community to safeguard public and private organizations against cyber threats.

About the Center for Internet Security Alan Paller Laureate Program

From the Center for Internet Security: The Center for Internet Security launched the Alan Paller Laureate Program in memory of Alan Paller, an innovative leader and trailblazer in the field of cybersecurity. The program will empower U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and individuals who are focused on improving cybersecurity by making cybersecurity controls demonstrably more effective, simpler, and more automated; developing and equipping highly skilled cyber experts; and improving the teaching of cyber defense at every level.