OAK BROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE: TRV),
today will host an educational symposium, Cyber:
Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore®, aimed at helping
businesses tackle evolving cyber threats, the second biggest business
concern in the 2018 Travelers
Risk Index.
Timed to coincide with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the
symposium will address the various types of cyber exposures that
companies are facing, with a particular focus on commonly targeted
organizations such as small businesses. Eighty-five percent of Travelers
Risk Index survey respondents from small businesses reported feeling
confident that their company has implemented best practices for
cybersecurity. However, many of those organizations may be unprepared
for a cyber attack, as the same survey showed that just 19 percent of
small businesses said they have written a business continuity plan and
only 18 percent said they have assessed the cybersecurity of vendors
with access to their data.
“Small business owners may be underestimating what it takes to prevent
or overcome a cyber incident,” said Edward Chang, Second Vice President,
Cyber Risk Management at Travelers. “This symposium will provide them
with an opportunity to hear insights from top cybersecurity leaders and
learn the most effective preventive measures to help protect themselves
against a growing threat.”
The symposium will be held in partnership with VEDC, a nonprofit
business development organization that helps entrepreneurs start and
grow their business through education, empowerment and small business
loans.
“Small and medium-sized businesses typically have much of the same
valuable information as the larger enterprises whose data breaches make
the news, but many don’t devote the attention to security for a host of
reasons, such as a belief that it is a larger business issue or a lack
of resources,” said Colin Battersby of McDonald Hopkins, who will
participate in the panel discussion. “But the out-of-pocket costs and
the reputational damage associated with a data breach can be fatal to a
smaller business, which makes securing and protecting data a top
priority in a sound business risk mitigation strategy.”
The event will take place at the Chicago Marriott in Oak Brook,
Illinois, at 11:30 a.m. CT and will feature a keynote address from Joel
Robertz, Special Agent, Counterintelligence and Cyber Program, Chicago
Field Office at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, followed by a panel
discussion on managing cyber threats. Joan Woodward, President of the
Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at
Travelers, will moderate the discussion and be joined by:
- Colin Battersby, Counsel, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice,
McDonald Hopkins
- Edward Chang, Second Vice President, Cyber Risk Management, Travelers
- Joel Robertz, Special Agent, Counterintelligence and Cyber Program,
Chicago Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Matthew Wernz, Staff Attorney, Federal Trade Commission, Midwest Region
Visit the Travelers
Institute’s website for more information on the Cyber: Prepare,
Prevent, Mitigate, Restore symposium series.
About the Travelers Risk Index
Hart
Research conducted a national online survey of 1,201 business
decision makers from June 9-23, 2018. The survey was commissioned by
Travelers.
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.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181024005457/en/
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Stephanie Arpin, 860-277-8876
sarpin@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.