Small Business Administration (SBA) officials have outlined the agenda for the first Small Business Cyber Summit, a virtual forum slated for Oct. 26, 2022, amid National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
The summit would feature various experts, including the SBA, SBA Resource Partners, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as state government collaborators and those representing public/private sectors.
SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman is scheduled to kick off the forum with a fireside chat with Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith. The dialogue will include SBA and Microsoft efforts to empower small businesses and startups nationwide to develop cybersecurity infrastructure and combat ever-evolving cyber attacks.
Smith leads a team of over 1,900 business, legal, and corporate affairs professionals located in 54 countries and operating in more than 120 countries. He spearheads Microsoft’s work on critical issues involving technology and society.
Other scheduled summit speakers include CISA Chief of Staff Kiersten Todt; Maryland Department of Commerce Director of Cybersecurity and Aerospace Kimberly Mentzell; Delaware Small Business Development Center Digital Solutions Manager Jacob Blacksten; and Greenville Area Small Business Development Centers Area Manager & Business Consultant Earl Gregorich.
The SBA noted forum attendance is free of charge, but participants are required to register through the Small Business Cyber Summit website.