Let’s face it, its human nature to avoid difficult subjects. When we don’t understand something, when it seems just too complex, it is always easier to move on to something else.
Of course, sticking your head in the sand in the face of a seemingly overwhelming obstacle never really solves the problem, it just makes the eventual consequence that much worse.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked in with the state’s largest business association before leading strategic communication for the Governor’s Office. My job has been, essentially, to learn as much as I could about difficult issues from smart people, and then find a way to explain what they were saying to people who may know they need to understand an issue better, but don’t have the expertise.
Over that same period of my career, I’ve also had the opportunity to work closely with the leaders of some of our state’s best and most innovative businesses. I’ve toured remarkable manufacturing plants with people and machines working to make some everything from mattresses to software to gun silencers. As I’ve talked to these business leaders about the issues they face, one stood out.
That would be cybersecurity.
To put it bluntly, C-suite executives usually know its a big issue, but they also recognize that it isn’t their area of expertise. Some hope for the best, some do their best and almost all of them leave it to the “tech guys.”
But with news of cyberattacks and cybercrime popping up every day – including the Equifax breach this past week affecting some 143 million Americans – it is clear that cybersecurity is not an issue that is going away.
That’s why we’ve created the CYBER24 podcast: to help business leaders, policy makers and all non-techies understand the complexities of the issue, the scope of the threat and the steps we can all take to prepare for the inevitable.
So, if you know you need to know more about cybersecurity, but you know very little about how tech works, you’ve come to the right place.