2020 was a terrible year for cybersecurity. According to Security Magazine, cyberattacks increased by 17% within the first three months of 2020, with more than 77% coming from targeted attacks. It’s clear that cybersecurity in America needs a complete reboot, especially because workers have started losing faith in their company’s data protection. In fact, 71% of Americans lack faith in their company’s cybersecurity measures, leading to more than 91% of companies increasing their cybersecurity budgets in 2021.

image credit: NIST.gov

With cyber compliance emerging as such a hot topic for businesses across the country, the National Institute of Standard and Technology’s Cyber Framework has emerged as a gold standard for cybersecurity.…

People are doing a lot of prognosticating about what will happen in 2020, but one thing is certain: Cyberattacks will get worse.

For small businesses, this is cause for alarm. Lacking the time, IT expertise, and deep pockets of major companies, the small businesses that make up the foundation of the economy are sitting ducks — especially considering that 43% of all cyberattacks target small businesses specifically.

In order to help small and midsize businesses get ahead of this issue, Congress passed the Small Business Cybersecurity Act in 2018. In essence, the act required the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to make small business cybersecurity a bigger priority, offering free and accessible resources appropriate for companies of all sizes.…