By Mike Baker

The Haliburton County Development Corporation is partnering up with its sister organization in the Kawartha Lakes to provide “critical” cyber security and support services to small and medium sized businesses across the region.

The two organizations are teaming up with E-Tech, a Canadian firm that specializes in providing full-service consulting on all things IT. The company was named the Best Managed IT Solutions Provider at the 2019 Canadian Business Awards.

According to a press release distributed by the Haliburton CDC, the services provided by E-Tech are designed specifically to help clients succeed in the online world of business, helping to avoid potentially disastrous security breaches.

“The Haliburton County Development Corporation seeks to support businesses in Haliburton County during these challenging times,” says Patti Tallman, executive director of HCDC. “As we see many businesses have pivoted their services by providing alternative ways to generate income, having implemented or expanded their online presence. This brings on a new meaning to ‘open for business’ in the cyber highway’s back end, so to speak, and can be devastating.”

She added, “This innovative program is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of your business.”

The program is open to small and medium sized businesses within Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County at no cost.

Businesses that enrol will be provided with a network security assessment, which can identify and detect a wide-range of internal cyber security threats. Also included is cyber security awareness training, which features a one-hour webinar on today’s cyber security threats, including phishing and ransomware awareness, and safe web browsing.

For more information, contact Patti Tallman at ptallman@haliburtoncdc.ca., or call 705-457-3555.