Some one hundred people were guests of Mayor Bob Stefanik for his semi-annual business breakfast. The meeting took place at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, at Carrie Cerino’s Ristorante. It was sponsored by Digital Integrated Systems (DIS), who gave a presentation on Cyber Security. Mayor Bob Stefanik noted that cyber security has become a huge topic in the past few years.
Community Development Director Tom Jordan gave an update of the development that is happening throughout the city, such as the Rt. 82 widening project, which is now in the stage of utility relocation. He said that the shoulders will then be widened on each side, in order to maintain traffic. He also talked about the Chippewa Creek Headwater Park, near the YMCA, which was completed recently. He also talked about upcoming projects, such as the City Green, Transitions Senior Complex at York and Rt. 82 and Omni Senior Living, which is proposed for the area near Sprague and Ridge Roads.
Digital Integrated Systems is a Richfield-based company has been the city’s IT service provider for many years, according to Jordan. DIS provides managed services, backup and disaster recovery, VoIP phone systems, cloud services, structured wiring, surveillance cameras, website development and project management. Founder, Robert Najjar, gave the presentation, “Are you at risk of becoming a cybercrime victim? Why should I care about cyber security?
“It’s a scary world,” said Najjar. He said that cyber crime didn’t exist five years ago and if it did, the targets were large corporations, not small businesses or individuals. He talked about various incidents where the computers of businesses, governments and individuals have been hacked, the unauthorized access to the computer or device. According to his organization, “in 2017, cyber-criminals stole nearly $172 billion from 978 million consumers in 20 countries.” Najjar said that in order to best protect yourself and your business, a preventative cyber security plan should be developed and put into practice daily. Here are some things that he recommends:
-Have a remote back up and back up regularly.
-Install a decent firewall with gateway security.
-Use passwords that are phrases that may make sense only to you. The longer, the better!
-Update passwords every 45 days.
-Buy decent Anti-Virus software and make sure you update regularly.
-Verify emails before opening – look carefully at the address.
-Educate employees regarding opening emails and changing passwords.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer