IT and Managed Service Providers in LA Join SecureTheVillage Program as Key to Business and Nonprofit Security as Second Cohort of Innovative Pilot Program Kicks-Off
SecureTheVillage’s innovative LA Cybersecure Program Provides Education, Tools, Coaching, and Community to Empower Small Businesses and Nonprofits to Defend Themselves in a way that, until now, only Big Businesses have Been Able to Achieve. The newest Cohort enables IT and Managed Service Providers (IT/MSPs) to expand the reach of the Program exponentially.
LOS ANGELES – February 27, 2024: In October, 2023, in our first 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.
Now, five IT/MSP organizations are participating in a community-based program to measurably improve their own cybersecurity capabilities. Upon completion of the program, each IT/MSP will receive a Cyberguardian™ IT/MSP Certificate of Completion.
On Wednesday, February 6, the team officially kicked off the first IT/MSP Cohort. The meeting was led by Stan Stahl, PhD, Founder and President of SecureTheVillage. In that introductory meeting, the five IT/MSP participants got to know each other. Stahl described the goals of the program and our strategy. Josh Franklin of the Center for Internet Security followed with an overview of the Center’s Essential Information Security Controls. This was followed by a discussion of the Business Development Roundtable led by SecureTheVillage Board Member, George Usi, and SecureTheVillage Strategist, William Leider. Stahl concluded the meeting by distributing SecureTheVillage’s unique assessment tool with instructions to conduct a self-assessment by the next meeting.
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.
By managing the security of their clients’ IT networks, IT/MSPs occupy a special place in the cybersecurity ecosystem. This means the more effective they are at implementing key defenses and building their business, the faster we will secure the community. This makes their success a key component to the success of LA Cybersecure.
To take advantage of their improved cybersecurity capability, our Pilot Program includes a special 12-month Business Development Roundtable designed to help IT/MSPs grow their business via a hands-on training and coaching program to increase sales to existing clients and to increase their new client conversion rates, the percentage of high-value prospects who become clients.
The Business Development Roundtable is led by William Leider. Bill is Managing Partner of the Axies Group and the author of Mastering Your Balance: A Guide to Leading and Living at Your Full Potential.
Bill is a master at hands-on training and coaching technical people to use the science of storytelling to more effectively connect with clients and prospects. Over the course of his career, Bill has helped Fortune 500 and smaller companies succeed at this.
Who are some of the Participants in this Second Cohort?
Antropy, Inc.
Antropy, Inc. provides expert IT service for small businesses and non-profits throughout Southern California.
Careful Security is your trusted security advisor. We collaborate with your IT team to uncover hidden security risks and prioritize fixing them.
Greenlight Information Services
Greenlight Information Services is a full-service Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) that has been protecting SMB and mid-market businesses for the past 15 years.
InfoNetworks is a full-service technology partner offering comprehensive managed IT services and network solutions, conveniently bundled to meet your specific needs for a flat monthly rate.
What Are Participants Saying about the Program?
“Our clients often find it difficult to understand the need for certain security controls that they feel are onerous. Now we’ll be better able to help them recognize how important these controls are for protecting their business and their customers.”
–Antropy, Inc.
“As a Cybersecurity Service Provider, we know we’re going to benefit by learning together with our peers. We’ll help them. They’ll help us. Everyone wins. Especially our clients.”
–Careful Security
“Some of our clients have specific compliances they must adhere to, while others simply rely on us to keep them safe in an ever-changing threat landscape. We are thrilled to be in this cohort as a way to continually bolster our own defenses while learning valuable lessons we can pass on to our clients.”
-Greenlight Information Services
“As a Managed Service Provider, InfoNetworks is excited to be part of the LA Cybersecure initiative with SecureTheVillage. With Cybersecurity being such an important pillar in today’s world touching every aspect of our lives, we are dedicating additional resources in this area. By participating in this Pilot program and joint collaboration with other technology firms in the area we are learning from industry experts and peers. Our goal is to have our clients and the people we interface with become more aware of potential security threats and avoid potential breaches by implementing the Center for Internet Security controls. As the saying goes, ‘It is better and easier to stop a Cybersecurity Breach from happening than to try to remediate it after it has started!’.”
-InfoNetworks
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.
