Threat Sketch Founder Among Top CEOs Attending Homeland Security Roundtable
NEW YORK, August 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Yesterday, Threat Sketch founder and CEO, Rob Arnold, participated in an exclusive roundtable discussion as part of the National Cybersecurity Summit. The panel was hosted by Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen and included many of the nation's top CEO's. The summit was attended by top cyber military leaders, heads of key federal agencies, and Vice-President Pence. The subject of the discussion was the collective defense of our nation's critical infrastructure.
The roundtable provided an open forum for discussing collective, cross-sector risks and the public-private partnerships that would have the most impact on reducing physical and cyber risk. Arnold was recommended to participate in the roundtable by the IT Sector Coordinating Council to represent the interests of small businesses, which are an integral part of the critical infrastructure supply chain. "It was an honor to represent the nation's 28 million small businesses that account for half of our country's jobs and GDP," Arnold said.
At the summit, Secretary Nielsen announced the formation of the National Risk Management Center to provide a focal point for managing national risks to critical infrastructure and a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Task Force to address near- and long-term solutions to managing strategic risks through public-private partnership. Arnold and the other CEOs were given the opportunity to provide feedback on both. "Everyone at Homeland Security was attentive to the needs of small businesses, as they are an integral part of our critical infrastructure supply chain," Arnold said. "I was glad to be able to speak for small businesses on this subject, and I feel my comments and feedback were given equal weight by officials and staff."
Arnold also represented his local community at this national event. Like other communities around the country, the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina represents the front lines of cybersecurity. Attacks such as those on LabCorp in Burlington and Davidson County Schools are real-world examples of cyber attacks that occurred in the Piedmont Triad in the past year.
"When the school system got hit with a phishing attack that exposed thousands of W-2s last year, cyber attacks became personal," Arnold said. "One of my best friends is a teacher whose information was compromised. National cybersecurity strategy may be planned in places like New York and Washington, D.C., but the battles are fought in our hometowns. Hometown America is where the supply chain is rooted."
To help the community, Arnold co-founded the Piedmont Triad Cyber Round Table, a diverse group of experts who come together to educate local business executives about cybersecurity issues. Also, with funding and support provided by Homeland Security through a National Infrastructure Protection Program Security and Resilience Challenge Award, Threat Sketch is collaborating with local colleges and universities to develop risk management tools for nonprofits. In addition to developing cybersecurity tools for nonprofits, the project also provides real-world experience for the students involved in the work. "I want to see the Piedmont Triad become a model for other communities. One where teamwork, innovation, public-private partnerships, and workforce development are how we collectively fight back against cyber crime," Arnold said.
About Threat Sketch -- Founded in 2015 in Winston-Salem, NC, Threat Sketch provides tools that enable small business owners and executives to evaluate and manage cybersecurity at a strategic level. The founders bring decades of IT, cybersecurity, risk analysis, financial/economic, and project management experience and expertise to a wide variety of small business clients. To learn more call 844-487-4757 or visit threatsketch.com.
SOURCE Threat Sketch LLC
