Guest ContributorArizona’s business community, including several Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry members, is coming together to form a new Arizona nonprofit whose mission includes providing enterprise-level cybersecurity solutions and risk mitigation to Arizona’s small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that make up a significant portion of Arizona’s extensive supply chain. The new entity, SecureAZ, seeks to provide Arizona’s SMBs with cyber preparedness and educational tools to improve security, reduce cyber vulnerabilities, remove barriers to cyber insurance, and help secure Arizona’s prosperity and future.
Arizona’s flourishing economy brings with it a heightened risk of cyber attacks across all business sectors. In 2024, Arizona ranked 9th in the country for financial losses due to phishing, business email compromise, and other online scams, totaling $392 million. But roughly half of all small businesses have no cybersecurity measures in place and nearly 60 percent of these businesses will fail following a ransomware attack. In addition, it often is difficult for those small businesses to acquire enterprise-grade tools and insurance even when they have a desire to do so.
SecureAZ seeks to solve those problems by enhancing the cybersecurity posture and resources available to local businesses, allowing them to operate safely and efficiently in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape. Founded by a group of cybersecurity experts and business leaders passionate about safeguarding Arizona’s economic development, SecureAZ aims to bridge the gap between the complex world of cybersecurity and the practical needs of smaller businesses.
“Large businesses in Arizona should care about the cybersecurity and resilience of SMBs because so much of large businesses’ supply chains are comprised of less secure smaller entities that don’t have the same tools and resources available to them,” said Chuck Matthews, SecureAZ’s board chairman and CEO of cyber response firm PacketWatch. “Starting SecureAZ is about finding ways to fill the cyber tools gap for SMBs, which will benefit everyone in the Arizona economy.”
Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine of Arizona’s economy and the backbone of its economic supply chain. Eighty-five percent of Arizona businesses have fewer than 20 employees. Many of these businesses are the vendors and customers of Arizona’s larger enterprises. But all too often they are also a vulnerable access point for cyber attacks. Small and medium-sized businesses often face unique challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. With limited resources and expertise, these businesses can become easy targets for cyber criminals.
“Helping start SecureAZ really comes down to acting on the Shamrock Foods Company’s longstanding motto – ‘treating our customers and suppliers as friends,’” said Jason Bredimus, SecureAZ’s board treasurer and vice president of IT and CISO of Shamrock Foods Company. “We increase our own security by presenting opportunities for our economic partners to have access to the same tools we use to mitigate risk.”
SecureAZ is a first-of-its-kind approach to deliver proven, effective cybersecurity tools and training to Arizona businesses and in doing so help Arizona’s economy thrive.
In partnership with local cybersecurity experts, insurance professionals, business leaders, and educational institutions, SecureAZ will provide accessible, affordable, and effective solutions to mitigate cyber risks and protect valuable data. This includes securing licensing availability for enterprise-grade software solutions, partnering with local educational institutions to provide enhanced security monitoring for SMBs and cybersecurity employment experience, and working with cyber insurers to make insurance products more accessible.
“Technology mostly enhances our lives and businesses, but it can make crime easier to commit as well,” said Evan Daniels, SecureAZ’s board vice-chair and former director of the Arizona Department of Insurance & Financial Institutions. “SecureAZ’s mission is about bringing together everyone with an interest in a robust Arizona economy – business, government, and education – to make Arizona’s growing economy a less target-rich environment for cyber criminals.” Learn more about opportunities to support SecureAZ at https://secureaz.org/
Joseph Kavetsky
Add comment