With the current macro economic head winds, 2023 budgets are either frozen or are flat. Where should CISOs focus these limited budgets to maximize the most out of their security program? In this segment, we invite Jon Fredrickson, Chief Risk Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, to debate what should be in your minimum viable securit…
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)– The inaugural cohort of ERIE 21 Lock 4 adult learners walked across the graduation stage Monday night at Le Moyne College after a year-long program in computer programing and cybersecurity courses.
One of the 11 graduates was Triana Reese who earned a certificate in cybersecurity fundamentals while raising her two teenage daughters.
“I am so doing this to be a great influence and inspiration for my girls so that they can do the same thing and see me working hard and want to do good themselves and go places,”
Triana Resse, ERIE 21 Lock 4 graduate
Reese has been interested in computers her whole life. She was working on learning coding during the pandemic when she was approached about the ERIE 21 program through Le Moyne College. The program’s mission is to diversify the technology industry and reduce poverty in Syracuse.
“It allows people to be able to step out of where they’re from and have hope for the future and gain the skills and knowledge that we need to hopefully take our life into better places,”
Triana Resse, ERIE 21 Lock 4 graduate
Taylor Hodge, Assistant Director for ERIE 21 said these college courses will allow the graduates to step into entry-level roles in either computer programming or cyber security, helping to meet a growing demand for tech jobs in the local community.
Reese’s next goal is to find a well-paying job to carry her and her daughters through a happy life.
ERIE 21 also provides programs for students at the middle school, high school, and college levels. To learn more about the program and how to apply click here.
Florida Blue Foundation awards additional $3.73 million in grants to innovative community programs making a meaningful impact in fight against hunger and food insecurity
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An estimated 2.2 million Floridians lack access to healthy food, including just over 660,000 children, according to Feeding America. Today, the Florida Blue Foundation announced another major investment to address food insecurity in the state with $3.73 million in grants awarded to 10 community-based programs.
The latest funding brings the total investment in food security programs from Florida Blue and its Foundation to more than $16 million over the last four years.
“Healthy communities need healthy food. When people don’t have enough food or must choose inexpensive foods with little nutritional value, it can seriously impact their health and well-being. Each year, more than $4.2 billion in health care costs are associated with food insecurity in our state,” said Pat Geraghty, Florida Blue and GuideWell president and CEO.
“The rising cost of food has only made this issue worse for our state. Florida Blue is focused on ensuring every person in Florida has reliable and affordable access to nutritious food and the knowledge of how to make it an enjoyable part of their daily lives,” said Geraghty
The 10 nonprofit organizations receiving the latest $3.73 million in funding from the Florida Blue Foundation will use the grants for community-based food security initiatives that not only provide access to nutritional food but address obstacles to food security in their communities.
“Food insecurity is a highly complex issue. Each community’s relationship and access to food is unique. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this issue,” said Susan Towler, executive director of the Florida Blue Foundation. “These Florida Blue Foundation grants will fund programs that directly improve access to and quality of food security for people at the neighborhood level, particularly in communities with underserved, racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income populations. We selected these 10 organizations because we believe they can make a meaningful and lasting impact in…
Innovative IT Solutions, a local tech firm is taking steps to help businesses protect their networks against cyber threats.
With Guyana being an oil-producing nation, the company believes it is important that businesses safeguard their computer systems, networks and data against cyber threats.
In a statement, the company noted that it wants to secure a partnership with Fortinet, a global leader in cyber security solutions and services, and 3CX Voice Over IP, a leader in IP telephony communication which can be integrated into an existing network or cloud-hosted infrastructure.
Fortinet also delivers high-performance network security solutions that protect your network, users, and data from continually evolving threats.
Director for Innovative IT Solutions, Somal Sharma explained that cyber security is becoming a severe issue for individuals, companies and governments.
“When everything is on the internet, from pictures of our children to our credit card information, ensuring that our data remains safe is one of the biggest challenges of cyber security,” Sharma said in the statement.
He explained that cyber security challenges come in many forms, some of which include, ransomware, phishing attacks, malware attacks, and more.
In 2017, the Guyana National Cybersecurity Incident Response Team advised persons and businesses to protect their devices against a global ransomware attack called ‘Wanna Cry’ or ‘Wanna Decryptor’.
Several local companies were affected by ransomware, some of which were made to pay hackers in order to regain access to their data.
In 2019, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) said that it had been the victim of a cyber-attack and had also been issued a ransom demand which it rejected.
Cybersecurity is the protection to defend internet-connected devices and services from malicious attacks by hackers, spammers, and cybercriminals. Cyber threats come in the form of phishing schemes, ransomware attacks, identity theft, data breaches, and financial losses.