The inaugural summit, which will take place on October 26, during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, will convene experts from the world of business and digital security to share best practices and key tools to help small businesses.

This free and virtual cybersecurity forum is the first to be held by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and aims to provide America's small business owners with tools, tips, and resources to harden their infrastructure and protect it from cyberattacks, as well as explore new trends and challenges that they face more and more in their daily processes.

Outstanding guests

SBA Administrator, Isabel Casillas Guzmán, presented the initial list of speakers, in which the participation of the Vice President and President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, stands out, along with whom she will hold an intimate chat by the fireplace to review the efforts of both organizations in empowering small and startup businesses across the United States, as well as developing their cybersecurity infrastructure and combating increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

NEW: Today, SBA announced the initial speakers for the #SBACyberSummit on October 26, including:
@BradSmi of @Microsoft
@SBAIsabel
Kiersten Todt of @CISAgov
More!

See the lineup: https://t.co/Sm2Vsr6EKa
Register: https://t.co/ATEpf2bVrj#CyberMonth pic.twitter.com/XW6C5aofjA

— SBA (@SBAgov) October 19, 2022

So far, these are other guests who will be part of this forum and will join Smith and Casillas Guzmán:

• Kiersten Todt, Chief of Staff, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Kimberly Mentzell, Director of Cybersecurity and Aerospace, Maryland Department of Commerce
• Jacob Blacksten, Digital Solutions Manager, Delaware Small Business Development Center
• Earl Gregorich, Area Manager & Business Consultant, Greenville Area Small Business Development Centers
• Joshua Lawton, Director of Engagement (Americas), Global Cyber Alliance
• Scott Anderson, Executive Director, Forge Institute
• Eric Toler, Executive Director, Georgia Cyber Center
• Ashley Podhradsky, Associate Professor of Digital Forensics, Dakota State University
• Jennifer Gold, Director of the Board, InfraGard New York Chapter
• Arthur Plews, Chief of Staff, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Mark Madrid, Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Entrepreneurial Development
• Jennifer Kim, Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Field Operations
• Larry Stubblefield, Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Veterans Business Development
• Bruce Purdy, Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Small Development Centers
• Jack Bienko, Senior Innovation Advisor, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Entrepreneurial Development
• Aikta Marcoulier, Regional Administrator – Rocky Mountain region, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Field Operations

About Brad Smith

As Vice President and President of Microsoft, he leads a team of more than 1,900 business, legal, and corporate professionals located in 54 countries and operating in more than 120 nations.

He has been noted for leading the company's work on critical issues related to the intersection of technology and society, including cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, human rights, immigration, and philanthropy.

Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, first spending three years in Paris leading the legal and corporate affairs team in Europe. In 2002, he was named Microsoft's general counsel and spent the next decade leading the work to resolve the company's antitrust disputes with governments around the world and companies in the technology sector. Before joining Microsoft, Smith was an associate and later a partner at the law firm Covington and Burling.

The SBA notes that the schedule is subject to change and that other speakers may be announced at a later date.

To register, click here.