UW and Wyoming SBDC Network to Host WISP Preparation Webinar Nov. 6

Small-business owners, accountants and tax professionals can learn how to prepare a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) to protect their clients’ data Thursday, Nov. 6.

Laura Baker and Paul Johnson lead a Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network webinar titled “Cybersecurity for Accountants and Tax Professionals: Preparing Your Required WISP” from noon-12:30 p.m. To register, go here.

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 the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Under federal law, the IRS considers tax and accounting professionals to be financial institutions. That means that even solo practitioners are required to have a WISP to protect client data. A WISP doesn’t have to be scary: it’s simply about naming someone in charge; checking your risks; setting policies, such as multifactor authentication; and having a game plan if something goes wrong. Think of it as your firm’s cybersecurity playbook -- right-sized, practical and designed to keep client trust and keep your business compliant.

The webinar will walk attendees through the WISP requirements step by step and share tools small-business owners can use right away. Attendees will leave with clear guidance, practical examples and the confidence to start building a WISP that works for their businesses.

Baker is executive director of CyberWyoming.

Johnson is manager of the Wyoming SBDC Network’s Cybersecurity Program.

For more information, call Tyler Schanck, marketing, communications and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email tschanck@uwyo.edu.