Hundreds attend Sioux Falls Cybersecurity Conference

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The experts at Tuesday’s Sioux Falls Cybersecurity Conference say everyone from giant companies to mom-and-pop stores needs a cybersecurity plan. The convention center was packed with people hoping to learn a little more about how to protect their information.

“Either you’ve been hacked, you are going to be hacked or you are not going to be hacked,” keynote speaker Jim Edman told the crowd form the stage.

One of the experts was Edman, a cybersecurity advisor with the Department of Homeland Security.

“We do a lot of things in our day to day lives in regards to locking our doors, rolling our windows up, using banks. We just need to do the same things in cyberspace, just apply these best practices that we talk about,” said Edman.

Edman says we all need to better understand the risks and educate ourselves.

Lucas Dowden, the controller at Combined Pool and Spa, says the cybersecurity conference was eye-opening.

“I even learned about the dark web today, which I didn’t have any knowledge about, but the things on the internet are scary, and you can definitely learn and just be aware is the key thing,” said Dowden.

Edman says a gathering like this is important because it gives business people, I.T. Professionals, and even local government employees a place to learn from each other.

“The bad guys talk every day,” said Edman. “They exchange information in regards to what is working and what’s not working for them. They communicate better than those of us on the good side. We need to get better at communicating and sharing what we are learning.”

In other words, networking. It was something those attending said happened a lot at this conference. Edman encouraged people to have a plan in place if they are hacked, so they can react swiftly and minimize harm.

The conference was organized by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.