With organizations and individuals being compromised every day, cybersecurity remains a pertinent issue. “According to FBI stats, it takes an average of 14 months to detect an intruder in your system,” said Jered Schock, a Marco IT specialist. He explained that even the highest quality software can’t protect you from every threat. Detection and response are equally as important as protection.
In fact, it takes only one machine encountering Malware to jeopardize an entire organization. A single wrong click becomes the entry point for widespread danger. Once a cyberattack infects the system, 60% of small businesses end up going out of business within six months after the attack.
Cyberattacks will never end, but Schock spoke at the TIES Conference about the evolution of security threats, problems with most security plans and ways to be proactive in winning the battle against these threats.
The annual TIES Conference took place at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. With a focus on presenting teaching materials, instructional practices and technology applications to educators, the TIES Conference draws in about 1,500 guests per year. Scheduled from April 15-17, the conference gave Schock the chance to present about cybersecurity.
“Currently, 80% of security spending is in the protection category, and not enough is spent in the detection and response categories,” he said.
Schock has spent all 14 years of his professional career in information technology consulting. He worked for Cisco Systems, Inc. before transitioning into his role at Marco. Schock advises organizations of all sizes in IT security. He has written numerous articles and given multiple talks on the topic as well. Jered has spent over a decade learning about how organizations can secure their most critical data assets from cybercriminals; he has gained his expertise from customers, experts at Marco, industry leaders and hands-on experience.
Sharing his knowledge with TIES attendees, Schock’s goal was to give an informational session to increase awareness among educators, rather than present them with a sales pitch. “It isn’t a single product or even a group of products that can keep your organization safe from cybercriminals, but rather an overall strategy of protection, detection and response. There is this belief that a product designed to protect the network from threats is good enough. The bad guys can always find a way in, and we need to get better at detecting them once they gain access to our data,” he said.
Schock offered a simple, straightforward talk. His presentation was titled Winning the Battle Against Cybercriminals at Your School. “When I give a talk like this, I try to speak in plain language that anyone can understand. People need to understand what the relevant threats are to the organization and what can be done to detect and respond to those threats. Having a plan when something goes wrong is critical; you have to plan for disruption and have a strategy in place to recover from a cyberattack.”
His presentation went over well. “I thought the session was great—super helpful and relatable. My takeaway was that we need to be pro-active when it comes to security. It was a great way to build awareness,” said an attendee from Highmore Harrold School District.
Schock represented Marco’s proficiencies and positive culture through his engaging, instructive talk. Marco also hosted a booth to talk about IT services, and the company plans to return to TIES again next year.