Bermuda Grass and Cybersecurity

I build this garden each year, mostly from seed. You can see where the regular lawn meets the edging.

The grass is a mix of unintentional whatever weeds and grass fill a "meadow" and dreaded Bermuda grass. Missouri's soil is full of clay, and the two are happy together.

Bermuda grass chokes out most flowers. The root system is pervasive and, again, loves that clay.

Modifying the soil to break up the clay and introduce more flower-friendly texture and nutrients deters Bermuda grass AND also grows better flowers. There's a double effect.

Small businesses and early cybersecurity efforts work in the same way. (These thoughts make soil modification less tedious).

You're removing future risk and can also add desired effects of better operations for now and the future if you use change management practices to also improve today's workflows when introducing more secure practices. Why not do these things together?

You gain systems and clarity. Peace of mind. Work...flows.

This is one HUGE garden to plant. I try to do it all from seed and hope they don't get root-choked. If I succeed (ahem), then the soil modification costs more than the seeds.

If I do none of this, I have a large mess of weeds. Instead of a beautiful garden.

Enough on this? Enough on this, yes. Let us cultivate our garden.

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Who to Whom?

You're writing this newsletter for whom?

Yeah, that's right. Most of us don't know our whos from our whoms, and I'm often fuzzy. A little trick to use.

Generally, if you can replace your "who/whom" with she, he, or they, the word you need is WHO. "Whom" is a placeholder (variable, if you will) for him, her, or them.

Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls...not for For He the Bell Tolls.

So. Whom do you trust? (Technically correct, but might furrow the brows of your friends). And this - for desire of unfurrowed brows - is why we are confused by concepts such as these.

Things are HAPPENING

🎤On Friday, April 5th - Jason Firch, MBA , Bruno Aburto, CISSP , and I talked about launching initial efforts in cybersecurity for small businesses. That's recorded, so you can find it here. https://www.linkedin.com/events/10cybersecuritytipsforsmallbusi7180275458129698817/comments/

🎉Tonight there's a Springfield Tech Council student event, and we're expecting about 60 people. (That's a lot of pizza...and board games).

🎤On Thursday April 18th, I'm speaking at the Women+ in Technology in Northwest Arkansas conference in the Bentonville, Arkansas area. Here's more information about that - it's a 10 minute talk for me about the role of people in small business cybersecurity. Still time to get tickets.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/womenintechnwa_womenintechnology-techconference-womenintech-activity-7183223887629807616--NED

🎤April 19th, I'm featured on an EC Council webinar - Building Strategies for Cyber Resilient Organizations

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5641116312358247262?source=Consolidated+EDM+Cybertalks+database

🎤And, rounding out the month - I'm jumping over to Alignable to talk about The Corporate Transparency Act and its effect on Small Business to a group of technical practitioners at 1 EDT on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Tech Industry Group Lunch-n-Learn: Heather Noggle, Codistac (alignable.com)

Favored Post

Just one this week - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_do-you-remember-when-they-broke-up-the-bells-activity-7180883737381859328-RklB

Invitation

Like, follow, share, connect, book an appointment - I am filling a few more projects and clients for the summer. Thanks for reading!