Cyber-Security Resources

As small businesses increasingly face cybersecurity threats, the government, specifically the Department of Defense, is stepping in to equip entrepreneurs with tools to defend against cyber attacks. 

At the Small Business Administration’s cybersecurity summit last week, organizers showcased a suite of cybersecurity-focused programming to help small-business owners better navigate a burgeoning threat landscape. 

One focus of the summit was a DOD tool called Project Spectrum, a free training and education resiliency platform that offers modules to help entrepreneurs with compliance and governance, including threat monitoring features, risk assessments and workforce development training. 

It also connects users with live advisers who can help businesses not only navigate the platform, but tackle their own cybersecurity challenges, Inc. reports.

According to a survey from the payroll software platform Sage, almost half of small businesses have been the victims of a cyberattack this year. Still, 46% of businesses don’t know where to turn to improve their cybersecurity best practices, according to Verizon’s State of Small Business Survey that was released earlier this month.

Project Spectrum is useful for both small businesses that work with the federal government and those that don’t, Derrick Davis, DOD’s industrial cybersecurity director for the office of small-business programs, told Inc.com.

Since 2019, Project Spectrum has helped more than 800,000 businesses with cyber assessments and troubleshooting, according to DOD. 

Read the full story from Inc.