UW’s Wyoming SBDC Network Awarded SBA Cybersecurity Grant

The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network at the University of Wyoming is one of six nationwide recipients of a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program grant. Awardees are all state entities that will assist small businesses in advancing cybersecurity infrastructure and mitigating cyber threats.

The Wyoming SBDC Network’s deployment of the two-year, $1 million grant, which begins Aug. 31, includes services that will directly address cybersecurity concerns for its clients and small-business owners in Wyoming. The Wyoming SBDC Network will use CyberWyoming’s Made Safe in Wyoming cybersecurity “train the trainer” program to address cybersecurity topics.

“Our initial phase to further train and educate additional staff and partners is exciting,” says Jill Kline, Wyoming SBDC Network state director. “We will be able to guide and assist more clients through important cyber risk management strategies. We look forward to gaining additional skills to support Wyoming’s entrepreneurs.”

CyberWyoming’s content will allow Wyoming SBDC Network advisers and several partner program advisers to become certified experts in assessing their clients’ cybersecurity needs and vulnerabilities as well as assist in developing strategies and resources to increase their cybersecurity readiness. Any client who is developing or revising a business plan will be assisted with developing a risk management plan that will include in-depth cybersecurity threats or mitigation planning for cyberattacks.

According to a U.S. SBA survey, 88 percent of small-business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Yet, many businesses cannot afford professional information technology solutions, have limited time to devote to cybersecurity or do not know where to begin.

Others to receive the cybersecurity grants are the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Indiana Economic Development Corp., Ohio State University, Old Dominion University and the Hawaii Cybersecurity Assistance for Small Businesses.

“Cyber threats can be devastating to small businesses. The SBA’s second cohort of cybersecurity pilot grantees will help our small businesses avoid dangerous cyberattacks that can create costly disruptions to their businesses and our nation’s supply chains and digital infrastructure,” says Isabella Guzman, administrator of the U.S. SBA. “The SBA’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Program leverages the full power of our state governments, territories and institutions of higher learning to provide turnkey, timely solutions to small businesses. I am excited to see this expansion across Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Hawaii and Wyoming.”

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA.