Cybersecurity council supports San Antonio businesses with resources and tools

SAN ANTONIO – A group of San Antonio cybersecurity experts are working together to help businesses protect themselves.

“We used to have an IT council, but we knew things were changing. We decided to focus on cybersecurity,” Jeff Fair, vice president of economic development at the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce said.

Fair is part of a cybersecurity council that was formed in 2012.

The group focuses on the development of the local cybersecurity industry and provides support to local businesses.

“What we are trying to provide here is the basics of what you need to do. Here is all the places you can go, but we have reviewed this and we know its quality. So, if you are going to spend an hour of your time with your team, go here,” Fair said.

The cybersecurity council helps make businesses safer from online dangers.

On the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce website, they offer tips on how to protect your network and where to go for resources.

“We also have a ton of small businesses in town that need to start the basics. Know what they have on their network. Begin some cybersecurity awareness training. And we are doing a lot of outreach to those small businesses across town so they can become more resilient,” Fair said.

The cybersecurity council also focuses on cybersecurity workforce development, marketing San Antonio cybersecurity and advocacy for the industry.

Greater SATX, a private-public nonprofit dedicated to growing quality high wage jobs in the San Antonio area, said in the private sector there are about 100 operational cybersecurity companies in the San Antonio and New Braunfels area.

The organization says there are more than 10,000 certified cybersecurity professionals in the San Antonio area, making it the largest concentration in the U.S., outside of the nation’s capital.