Complete Story
10/14/2024
041. Cybersecurity: What Future Leaders Must Know to Protect Themselves and Their Organizations (morning)
Instructor: Mike Foster
Level of Complexity: Foundational/Intermediate/Advanced
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
When a cyberattack hits a distribution business, it doesn't just affect IT—it can paralyze operations, compromise supplier relationships, and damage customer trust built over decades. This dynamic session cuts through technical jargon to deliver exactly what distribution leaders need to know about modern cyber threats. Through real-world distribution industry examples and interactive scenarios, you'll gain practical insights to evaluate your organization's cyber readiness and confidently lead security conversations with your IT teams, whether in-house or outsourced. Particularly valuable for leaders overseeing multi-location operations, complex supply chains, or digital transformation initiatives.
Learning Objectives:
- Cyber Threats in Plain English: Decode the latest cyber risks specifically targeting distribution operations – from warehouse applications to business systems you depend on – without getting lost in technical jargon
- The Million-Dollar Question: Learn to spot the difference between essential security measures and expensive 'nice-to-haves' – helping you make smarter cyber investment decisions
- Beyond the Basics: Master practical techniques to evaluate whether your organization's current security measures actually match your business risks (Spoiler: Most don't!)
- Crisis-Ready Leadership: Develop an action plan for the first 48 hours of a cyber incident – because in distribution, every hour of downtime costs money
Bookstore
The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors
Brent Grover
Brent Grover’s latest book on the wholesale distribution industry, The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors, is published by Modern Distribution Management. This is a concise book covering the critical pieces of creating a strategic plan for a wholesale distribution company including case studies, exhibits and end-of-chapter questions for your management team.