Cybersecurity: The (now retired) FBI Agent and the "Recovering Banker" Turned Digital Marketer...

October is national #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth. With people now spending more time online than ever, it's an important topic. It's one that many of my banking friends are spreading...

One of my first "experiences" related to the topic of #cybersecurity was at a conference almost 10 years ago. Back in 2014, I was asked to present at a tech conference for bankers on this new trend known as #SocialMedia. I was one of the first speakers to really put the pieces together and had been talking about banking and the evolving world of digital for several years by now. Bankers wondered was social something to worry about? Something to be a part of? If nothing else, they were eager to learn more.

So preparing for this conference I was super confident and excited about the questions and conversations that my presentation would likely spark. Until I got the call.

I was informed by the event organizer that another speaker who was also going to be presenting at the same conference was going to be an FBI agent by the name of Scott E. Augenbaum. He headed up the cyber crimes division out of Nashville. Oh boy.

I was grateful for the "heads up" and knowing that I'd be presenting about social media and the benefits of being online the same day a cyber crime expert from the FBI was going to pretty much say the exact opposite. Thing. Buckle up, buttercup. 😳

The right thing to do, so that neither of us was uncomfortable (ok, me - as I'm not sure an FBI agent gets "uncomfortable"), was to hop on a call and chat. With trepidation and a few email exchanges to find a time, the call happened... and Scott was awesome. The conference went well, we had fun playing off each other, and mutual agreement on the risks and doing anything online with your "eyes open" and alert is a lesson nobody can argue with.

What I didn't expect was on that fateful day, our relationship would grow to become a great friendship. In fact, after his retirement from the FBI, I was able to bring him to our 2018 Global Convention in Montreal. Scott spoke to a room full of fellow WSI #DigitalMarketers from around the world.

He crushed it on stage! Not so much at the ping-pong table though 🤣, but that's a story for another day.

I'd have to say one of the best parts about Scott being part of our convention was that a global agency network like WSI was forward-thinking enough to recognize the importance of online security and have him as a keynote session. Sure, we had sessions about #DigitalMarketing, #SocialStrtategies, and the other sorts of online topics you'd expect, but for an agency network to be building awareness on cybersecurity - that was pretty unusual for the day.

And while it's always on my mind thanks to 15 years as a banker, for many consultants this was one of the first times they even thought about cybersecurity, the benefits of 2FA, what a phishing scam was, etc. His message was heard loud and clear and hundreds of digital marketers returned to their markets to educate their clients, armed with knowledge and tips to help keep them safe(r). That's a good thing.

Fast forward to today, I'm proud to say Scott is crushing it on LinkedIn, spreading the word about the importance of staying safe online. I love seeing his videos and reading reviews/comments from people who have also had the good fortune to see him speak at one of their events.

And all this from a guy who told me just a few short years ago that he'd "never be on LinkedIn". I'm so glad he changed his mind (and retiring from the FBI probably helped make that possible) - as I have to believe this platform has been instrumental in building awareness for not only getting him to events and reaching people in person, but the thousands of others viewing his videos and reading his posts.

Go Scott, go! 🎊

And as if the speaking is not keeping him busy enough, he's also the author of the book, The Secret to Cybersecurity (yup, you can get it on Amazon). You'll learn in the book, as well as in his message he shares on LinkedIn, that it's not expensive or complicated technology that going to keep you safe. It's about building a mindset and knowing what to look for - and that's what he talks about.

Fancy programs, complex firewalls, and expensive software are available and you can certainly spend money and time on them. They do have their place. But at the end of the day, and he'll tell you himself, most of the bad things he saw at the FBI was the result of human error and ignorance. The worst part, you won't get your money back and the bad guys won't go to jail. #RealityCheck

What's should you do next? Check out Scott's profile and watch his videos. Consume his message. Then share it with your friends. You can thank me later.

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#LinkedBanker30 #Cybersecurity #OnlineSecurity #CyberCriminals #TheSecretToCybersecurity #CyberSecureMindset