NFL Promotes Importance of Cybersecurity to Las Vegas Small Businesses

As a victim of identity theft, Jennifer Burbank was particularly attentive during CISA Region 9 Supervisory Cybersecurity Advisor May Acosta’s recent presentation on how to be cyber safe. The owner of Las Vegas event planning company Fnom Worldwide said she was most interested in learning how to better protect her personal and her clients’ data. 

“I got some great tips and information from the presentation, and I really appreciate that (CISA’s) services are free,” Burbank said.  She admits that she was not aware of CISA prior to Acosta’s presentation. Her next step? Request a cyber vulnerability scan for her business from Acosta.

Burbank was one of more than 200 local minority-, veteran-, woman- and LGBT-owned small businesses in Las Vegas who attended the cybersecurity workshop as part of the Super Bowl Business Connect program. The program, which is sponsored by the National Football League and the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee, aims to link diverse suppliers to contracting opportunities related to Super Bowl LVIII and to provide professional networking and development programming for program participants.

“One of the goals of the Business Connect program is to make sure that these businesses are prepared to do business with the NFL and that is no small feat,” said Myisha Boyce, Chief Community Engagement Officer for the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee. “So, one of the things that is critical is the security and safety of the information of these businesses.” 

Jackie Stevenson, owner of the Sharp BBQ food truck, called Acosta’s presentation “eye-opening” when he learned how often cyberattacks occur and how costly they can be. Having been hacked in the past, he now vows to implement multi-factor authentication and to change his password.

Following cybersecurity presentations from CISA, UNLV, Cisco and AWS, attendees had the opportunity to network with representatives from 30 local corporations to discuss procurement needs during the Super Bowl and beyond. 

CISA’s participation in the Business Connect program is just one example of the numerous activities that the agency has engaged in leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl game. 

Photo Caption: CISA Region 9 Supervisory Cybersecurity Advisor May Acosta offers tips to small business owners on how to protect their companies from cyberattacks at the SB LVIII Small Business Summit in Las Vegas.