Upcoming ways toUpcoming ways toConnect & MarketConnect & Market

your businessyour business

A nnual Mayor's LuncheonA nnual Mayor's LuncheonNov . 20 * 11:30am-1:00pmNov . 20 * 11:30am-1:00pm

Chaska Event Cent erChaska Event Cent erSold Out - Registration closedSold Out - Registration closed

Mark your calendars for our next bigLuncheon on Dec. 18 inLuncheon on Dec. 18 in

ChanhassenChanhassen

Tuesday Meet & GreetTuesday Meet & GreetNov . 19 * 8:00-9:00amNov . 19 * 8:00-9:00am

A llst at e I nsuranceA llst at e I nsurance108 Pioneer Tra i l - Chaska108 Pioneer Tra i l - Chaska

CommonsCommonsJoin us for some coffee, network with

other business reps.and help us welcome Mindy and

Cadee to their new Allstate Insuranceoffice.

New Member Meet & GreetNew Member Meet & GreetT uesday, Dec. 3 * 8:00-9:00amT uesday, Dec. 3 * 8:00-9:00amChanhassen Community CenterChanhassen Community Center

2310 Coulter Blvd2310 Coulter BlvdThis is a chance to meet some of our

newer Chamber members, review yourmember benefits and look at our new

website and business directory.No cost to attend.

CHAMBER BUSINESS BLOG5 Myths of Small Business5 Myths of Small Business

CybersecurityCybersecurityAuthor: Brad Ki l l ian - Brad Ki l l ian - CompleteTech

According to the Small BusinessAdministration, approximately 30 millionsmall businesses operate in the U.S.employing nearly half the totalworkforce. These organizations areincreasingly becoming victims ofcybercriminals with alarming outcomes:70% of small and medium sizedbusinesses “SMBs” experienced acyberattack in 2017.Ransomware attacks have increasedover 97 percent in the past two yearsSMBs in the U.S. and Canada spent anaverage of $149K to recover from abreach in 2018. 60% of SMBs that suffera successful cyberattack go out ofbusiness within six months.While data clearly shows cyberattacksare a growing problem for SMBs, mostdo not make security a priority untilthey have had an incident. This is oftendriven by a “It won’t happen to me”attitude resulting from some mythsabout security prevalent in the smallbusiness community.My business is too small to be aMy business is too small to be atarget.target.Cyber-attacks are crimes ofopportunity. All businesses havevaluable data assets ranging frompersonal information to operationaland trade secrets. Reeling from the costof breaches, most large corporationsnow make cyber security a prioritydriving cybercriminals to focus onsmaller companies. Often withoutdedicated IT security staff and weak ornon-existent security practices, smallerorganizations are easy targets. SMBsrepresented 43% of successful databreaches in 2018. All businesses usingonline resources are targets.Running OS updates keepsRunning OS updates keepscomputers securecomputers secureMost employees know to update theircomputer when alerted, but they areoften only patching their Windows or

Workplace Wellness FundingOpportunity for Local BusinessesCarver County Public Health is currentlyaccepting project proposals from localbusinesses interested in implementingwellness activities related to healthy eating,physical activity, breastfeeding support,and/or tobacco-free living. Public Healthwill provide technical assistance andresources to workplace partners to helpidentify workplace wellness opportunitiesand implement evidence-based strategies.Please visitwww.co.carver.mn.us/worksites to

Mac OS. OS patching will prevent someinfections, but many viruses exploitweaknesses in 3rd party software likeAcrobat, Java, or Flash to infect yourcomputer. Most applications are notconfigured to check for updatesautomatically and users rarely know toupdate them manually leaving theirsystems open to compromise.Anti-virus security software protectsAnti-virus security software protectsour network.our network.Many businesses install security softwarewithout understanding its limitations.Anti-virus needs to recognize viral codeto prevent infection, so it needs to beconfigured correctly and updatedfrequently. Even then, it’s far from 100%effective. While not a completesolution, anti-virus security software canhelp your business avoid infections ifmanaged correctly.2-factor authentication is2-factor authentication isunnecessary.unnecessary.81% of hacking-related breaches in2018 leveraged stolen or weakpasswords! Most users choose short,easily guessed passwords and reusecommon passwords across multiplesystems. Stronger unique passwordsreduce risk but still getstolen. Leveraging 2-factorauthentication is most effective forprotecting your data allowing identityverification via text message orfingerprint scan in addition to apassword to secure access, but careneeds to be used in selecting anapproach that does not interfere withworkflows or cause excessive overhead.Cybersecurity is IT’s job.Cybersecurity is IT’s job.While IT has a responsibility to providesecure applications, access andinfrastructure to support the business,cybersecurity is everyone’s job. Almosthalf of all malware is installed via email.If your employees aren’t trained oncybersecurity best practices, like how tospot phishing scams and avoid unsafelinks, they are opening your companyto potential issues.If these myths sound familiar or youhave concerns about the security ofyour business, we canhelp. completeTECH specializes inhelping businesses protect themselvesand thrive with straightforward,affordable technologysolutions. Schedule a freeSchedule a freeconsultationconsultation online today and makesure your business is protected beforeyou have a problem.

CONNECT W ITH THE BLOG AUTHORCONNECT W ITH THE BLOG AUTHOR

Brad Ki l l ian- CompleteTechBrad Ki l l ian- CompleteTech

learn more or to complete a projectproposal. Project proposals are accepted onrolling basis but are due no later thanJanuary 31, 2020. If you have anyquestions or would like more details, pleasecontact Jean atjpierson@co.carver.mn.us.

Phone- (612) 361-1976Email-brad.ki l l ian@completetech.combrad.ki l l ian@completetech.comWebsite- www.completetech.comwww.completetech.com

Last Week in PicturesLast Week in PicturesThank you to sponsors, prize donors and attendees at our Celebration Gala atThank you to sponsors, prize donors and attendees at our Celebration Gala atHazelt ine. Hazelt ine. For more pictures and to see who the award winners wereFor more pictures and to see who the award winners were cl ick hereclick here

Welcome New Chamber Member!Welcome New Chamber Member!The Preschool PlaceThe Preschool Place

Southwest Metro Chamber of CommerceSouthwest Metro Chamber of Commercewww.swmetrochamber.comwww.swmetrochamber.com