Travelers Institute Hosts Cybersecurity Forum in Santa Monica to Share Tips for Small and Midsized Business Owners

October 13, 2017

Stephanie S. Christensen, Chief, Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, National Security Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, will deliver the keynote address

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), today will hold its Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore℠ educational symposia series in collaboration with the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and The Sullivan Group. The event will be held at RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. The symposium will focus on the current threat landscape for small and midsized organizations and offer strategies for preparing for and responding to a cyber incident.

“Information sharing is critical to increasing cybersecurity,” said Stephanie S. Christensen, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, National Security Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. “The lessons learned from past cyber attacks can help businesses with limited resources to be better prepared when a breach occurs.”

More than half of the small and midsized business owners surveyed for the 2017 Travelers Risk Index said cyber threats were among their top concerns, yet less than half of the respondents said they regularly reviewed their data security plans and practices.

“Just one cyber attack can devastate a small organization, but our research shows that many have not taken basic preventive measures,” said Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers. “Our goal is to recommend effective ways for business leaders to protect private information about their companies and customers, as preparation is critical when it comes to avoiding cyber incidents.”

Christensen will deliver the event’s keynote address. A panel discussion, “Tackling Evolving Cyber Threats,” will be moderated by Woodward, who will be joined by the following panelists:

  • Lillian Ablon, Information Scientist, RAND Corporation; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
  • Tim Francis, Enterprise Lead for Cyber Insurance, Travelers
  • Will Rasmussen, Director, Brunswick Group
  • Gerald J. Sullivan, Chairman, Gerald J. Sullivan & Associates

“As individuals and businesses embrace new technologies to connect socially and advance their business competitiveness; there is a significant increase in confidential data being viewed, stolen or used by unauthorized individuals,” said Sullivan. “It is imperative that we equip ourselves with information and resources to protect our sensitive data.”

The Travelers Institute has held its Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore℠ educational initiative across the United States since 2016, and expanded the series to Canada this year. For more information about the series, visit the Travelers Institute website.

About the Travelers Institute
The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management, as well as the technical expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers and other experts, to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.

The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Judy Senechal, 860.277.2366
jlsenech@travelers.com

Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.