4
• DECEMBER 11, 2020 • Midlands Business Journal
Cybersecurity A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
December 11, 2020
Local professionals highlight some best practices to maintain cyber resilience by Gabby Hellbusch
Cyber resilience, which is quickly becoming a popular buzzword throughout the business world, refers to the ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from a cyberattack. Tech experts say organizations are beginning to add cyber resilience plans to their cybersecurity strategies to not only protect IT systems and data, but to ensure the business continues to operate during and after a cyberattack. Jessica Murray, account manager at Lutz Tech, said this is crucial because it Rausch has several benefits to an organization, including reducing financial loss, enhancing system security and IT operations, improving internal processes, protecting reputations and maintaining customer trust. “The most important tip to help a business protect their information is to be vigilant,” she said. “Most threats will involve an uninformed or uneducated employee giving away information to the wrong person. Vigilance and organization-wide
Jessica Murray, account manager at Lutz Tech. cybersecurity training will increase the nization. “The risk assessment can be as simple employee’s awareness and make them part or as comprehensive as needed but will of the solution.” According to Murray, an organization give all members of the organization an should conduct a risk assessment to detect understanding of the vulnerabilities and weaknesses or vulnerabilities in the orga- will elicit the conversation to fix them,” she said. “Once weaknesses are identified and remedied, it is wise to create a business continuity plan with a disaster recovery strategy, so employees have a clear understanding of what is expected to keep business running in the event of an attack.” Douglas Rausch, program director for cybersecurity at Bellevue University, said resilience addresses the fact that no computer system can ever be 100% secure against all threats. “Assume your systems will be attacked, so your business needs to have planned for, and trained with, the processes and procedures required to continue to conduct your business operations while you are responding to and recovering from that attack,” he said. “Ransomware is a great example. If your business is the victim of a ransomware attack, do you have alternate procedures in place to continue to operate while your systems are restored from backup? If so, you have built resiliency into your system.” Rausch said all systems should be protected behind a firewall, both on the network and on the computer. “Use multifactor authentication,” he
said. “This means that in addition to a password, you provide a code sent to another device, such as your phone, to gain access to a system. Be up to date on patches and antivirus. Make frequent backups and keep a copy someplace other than on your network. Finally, when you are not in the office use a virtual private network to connect to your office network.” With a growing number of cybersecurity incidents, Jarrod Daake, director of operations at Five Nines, said cyber resilience is critical to a business’ success. Daake “Simply put, just trying to prevent incidents from occurring is not enough,” he said. “Businesses must have documented processes to handle the event that took place, execute a recovery or remediation and ensure the business can continue functioning. Processes should be created for various types of cybersecurity threats and should all include RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted and informed) charts that help organize the response when an incident happens.” The best way to approach information security is to approach it in layers. “At an absolute minimum, businesses should be utilizing firewalls, antivirus, antispam and disk encryption,” Daake said. “Beyond that, advanced endpoint protection software, web filtering and email encryption are all additional layers that can and should be implemented. “The most overlooked and vulnerable layer of security is your end-users. End-user security training must be the foundation of any business’ security approach.”
Follow us on @mbjpublications
Cybersecurity — inside DECEMBER 11, 2020
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
$2.00
VOL. 46 NO. 50
SL Jensen Construction adds to portfolio of construction services by Michelle Leach
Corn Coast more than a name, it's a movement. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40 Evans a catalyst for change, support in breaking through barriers. – Page 3
e lac rkp o eW Th In
Don’t let policies stagnate: Avoid new legal risks presented by COVID-19. – Page 23
When Alex Jensen’s father, Stanley “Larry” Jensen, started SL Jensen Construction in 1984, he was knocking on doors and “taking on any project he could find,” said the junior Jensen. No longer a “two men and a van operation,” the general contractor whose foundation remains in new construction and remodels, has also expanded into development and cabinetry, and boasts around 40 team members across its businesses. “It’s expanded quite a bit,” Alex Jensen said. “We jump into parallel businesses … that don’t distract from the home remodels or construction business.” From its headquarters at 6324 S. 118th St. in Omaha, the family-owned and family-operated general contractor has left its mark on high-end custom homes, flex spaces, and neighborhood transformative projects. For instance, it segued into development in the 2010s by gutting a historic space that was vacant with the exception of critters and squatters. The 30th and Mason streets Continued on page 7.
Second-generation leadership Alex Jensen … Family-owned and family-operated general contractor identifies, launches parallel services while balancing with new construction and remodel project world. (Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)
Under new ownership, Wohlner’s adds online store, new products by Michelle Leach At the height of COVID-19’s first wave, the metro’s oldest grocery store transitioned to new ownership and, since April, the Wohlner’s team has embarked on online shopping and the introduction of 75 to 80 new wine varietals (and some liquors) — among a number of additions and changes at various phases of deployment this holiday season.
“We’re excited to carry on the rich tradition of quality and service, and to add some exciting, updated enhancement to the store,” said new owner and CEO Bob Kimball. Kimball and his wife of 38 years, Dianne, purchased the store at Midtown Crossing at Turner Park from third-generation owner, Mike Schwartz. “I’ve been in the grocery busiContinued on page 8.
Workroom Manager Denise Ervin … Nurturing aspiring designers so that they may fulfill their creative potential in the fashion industry.
Formerly Fashion Institute Midwest, Fashion Arts Collective builds reach by Gabby Hellbusch
Owners Dianne and Bob Kimball … Couple continues legacy of local, family ownership for historic neighborhood grocery and deli.
Since its debut in 2012 as an initiative to provide resources for local fashion designers, The Fashion Arts Collective — formerly Fashion Institute Midwest — has not only opened a physical space dubbed The Workroom, but has also launched several new mentoring, training, resources and industry network opportunities over the years, said Alyssa Dilts, communication and education chair.
This recent growth led to a major rebrand in October 2020, which also included introducing a new website that highlights FAC’s purpose and supportive entities: The Fashion Guild, The Workroom and Marketplace. The Workroom, located on the entire second floor of the Midco Building in the Makerhood District in north downtown Omaha, is filled with industrial grade sewing machines, large Continued on page 10.