FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
IFA AND NCSA WORK TOGETHER FOR CYBER SECURITY
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2014—In support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the International Franchise Association has partnered with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to reach and educate the franchise industry about addressing cybersecurity and making it a priority within their businesses.
“IFA is pleased to be working with NCSA, working to create greater awareness and empower companies to keep their sensitive information safe and secure online,” said IFA Executive Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy Robert Cresanti. “Through educational development and events, IFA and NCSA will work toward a collective goal to educate business owners about the basic steps they can take to become more cyber-secure.”
IFA will work to develop materials that support creating a culture of cybersecurity within our member companies. Building an outreach and awareness program that engages the business community will allow for a safer cyber infrastructure and enhance security across all information systems for franchise businesses.
“NCSA welcomes the opportunity to partner with IFA. Many small- and medium-sized businesses are franchises that rely on computerized networks and digital records ‒ making them extremely vulnerable to cyber attacks,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of NCSA. “We want to ensure that small businesses are empowered and have smart cybersecurity plans in place to stay safe online and to continue to build customer trust. Recently, NCSA launched RE: Cyber, a new online resource that supplies business owners with tools to help plan against and better manage cyber risks. It’s time to shift our viewpoint on cybersecurity from one dominated by vulnerability to focusing on building a safer, more secure and trusted Internet.”
“With both the franchise and cyber industries working together, we will be able to have productive conversations that produce tangible results for our members to protect their businesses from cyber threats,” Cresanti said.
Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information on cyber security.
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About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.
About The National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is the nation’s leading nonprofit public private partnership promoting the safe and secure use of the Internet. Working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), private sector sponsors and non-profit collaborators to promote cybersecurity awareness, NCSA board members include representatives from ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, Comcast Corporation, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, Leidos, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Symantec, Trend Micro, Verizon and Visa. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, NCSA’s mission is to educate and empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely, protect themselves and the technology they use and protect the digital assets we all share. For more information on NCSA please visit: http://www.staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/.
About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is the national cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. The campaign was created by an unprecedented coalition of private companies, non-profits and government organizations with leadership provided by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). The Department of Homeland Security leads the federal engagement in the campaign. Learn how to get involved at STOP.THINK.CONNECT.org.
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