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Abigail Blythe Batton/Staff Correspondent Stan Sargent, founder of Clear Winds Technology, prepares to teach a class on Cybersecurity as part of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn Series at Tri-County Community College on June 28.
Peachtree – The Cherokee Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch & Learn drew a full house on June 28 at Tri-County Community College.
This series saw Clear Winds Technology President/CEO Stan Sargent present, “You’ve Been Hacked: Cybersecurity Case Studies and How to Minimize Vulnerabilities,” to attendees who joined to learn how to protect their homes and organizations from cyberattacks. Clear Winds, which was founded in 2001, has more than 80 technicians with an uninterrupted helpline prepared to assist their clients in the event of a cyber attack or hacking.
“Cyber attacks are on the rise,” Sargent warned, adding, “it has nothing to do with geography. If you have a computer, you can become vulnerable.”
Clear Winds designed the course to be compliant with the most up-to-date advancements available.
Sargent, the company’s founder, said it’s hard to keep up in the cyber world.
“Technology is moving faster and faster; it won’t stop. AI is coming,” he said of Artificial Intelligence.
Sargent’s quiet manner stood in contrast to Harris’ charismatic excitability. Sargent began his career in electrical engineering before founding Clear Winds.
“The criminals are smart,” Sargent said, “which is why I’ve gathered a team that is smarter.”
Sargent revealed that the biggest mistake he sees is people opening spam or suspicious-looking email. It happens even inside his own cybersecurity company. One of his employees approached him, asking about an email Sargent sent out asking some basic questions about his own company.
“He wanted to know why I was asking him these questions,” he said. The email appeared to have been sent from Sargent, but it was, in fact, a cyber attack.
“Even if the email looks like it’s from someone you know, hover your mouse above the sender’s name and verify the address.”
The event drew both business owners and individuals.
“I’ve never been attacked,” Marti Lane of Lotsa Memories said, “but I want to stay safe online and prevent someone from stealing data.”
Murphy Mayor Tim Radford attended to help keep the town safe from attack.
“Other towns have had cyber attacks,” he said, “ and have been crippled for weeks.”
Radford added, “In today’s interconnected world, where data breaches and cyber attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent, it is imperative that we stay one step ahead by prioritizing security measures that can ensure the integrity of our infrastructure and protect the privacy of our citizens.”
Should an attack occur, Sargent feels confident his team can handle it.
“It’s interesting, like a puzzle,” he said. “We forensically investigate. We are always solving something.”