What could be worse than
an audit by the IRS?

Imagine having all the data on your computers stolen by hackers, then having the FTC show up with a microscope to find out where you screwed up.

Wait, the FTC? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is tasked with protecting consumers from bad business practices, and they are looking at you as persona non grata.

Everything goes wrong all at once:

Suppose those hackers break into your computers and secretly steal tons of information, and then they add insult to injury by holding your data hostage with ransomware. Your systems are out of commission until you pay them a couple hundred thousand dollars. While you are negotiating that mess with your computer support people, the hackers are using the data they were able to steal from you. They use it to apply for fake credit cards, submit fraudulent tax returns, file for unemployment, and create fake identities of your customers.

Next, someone from the government shows up. They're here to figure out if you implemented a “proper” security program to protect your customers’ data (and if you're going to be fined.) If they find your security measures were in violation of the law, the insurance company doesn’t cover your fines or your jail time.

This seems like a lot:

You're probably thinking that this is all a little alarmist. After all, this won’t happen to you.

Do you think the hundreds of thousands of healthcare organizations who’ve been fined for violating HIPAA (rules in place to protect patient privacy) thought they would get hit? Nope.

Why are you getting this letter (and why do you need
to see it instead of handing it off to your IT person)?

These new requirements go far beyond your computers,
and will need to be championed by an executive on your team.

I am sending this letter to you for two reasons:
First, I want to make sure you are aware that the new FTC Safeguards apply to you.

Second, I want to offer you a Level 1 Risk Assessment. One of the major requirements of this law is to have a risk mitigation strategy. I am not talking about buying and installing security tools. I am talking about understanding the risk within your organization and creating a plan with a roadmap to address these risks. Yes, the roadmap may have some computer security controls that you can delegate to your IT person. However, for the most part, these solutions will impact operations and policy.

The assessment:

Other organizations your size have paid over $3,000 for this type of analysis. I am offering it to you for FREE if you get started in the next 30 days. Why? I want to help you get started as soon as possible. Here’s the thing. This new law requires a TON of effort. I’ve helped many of my clients through the process, and it takes time, planning, and hard work.

Have you ever tried to hire a tax accountant on April 14? You might be lucky enough to find one that has extra time to add your taxes to their list. Do you think they’ll be the best choice? Do you think they’ll have the time required to ask you all the right questions to keep you out of an IRS audit and the wasted time, fines, and overdue taxes that come with not preparing your taxes properly? Maybe.

I am offering you this FREE Level 1 Risk Assessment so we can help you get started now and not have to hunt down someone to help you with this at the very last minute.

Here’s how it works:

I will send you a non-disclosure agreement. This is a confidential assessment, and this agreement will give you peace of mind that it will stay that way.

We will have a 45-minute phone call where I will ask you about threats and risk associated with your organization. This isn’t a technical call, and you do not have to know any specifics about the way your computers are set up to answer the questions we’ll cover.

I will analyze what you have in place compared to the new FTC Safeguards Law and create a report of the findings.

We will sit down and review your results and help you build a simple roadmap using the tools and people to address any gaps we uncover.

What’s the catch? There is no catch. This is not going to be a high-pressure sales meeting. Instead, we will be talking through your plans to address the FTC Safeguards Law.

What’s in it for me? About half of the people we meet with want help from someone that has a proven track record of building out and managing a security program. This is an opportunity for folks like you to see what my work product is like. No pressure. No obligation.

If this is something you’d like to take me up on, simply give me a call at 978-561-6025 and let my assistant know you’d like me to perform a Level 1 Risk Assessment for you.