Wyoming’s Cybersecurity Competition For Small Business in Eighth Year
LARAMIE – On February 1, the 2025 Wyoming Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses begins its eighth annual program encouraging Wyoming companies to enhance their cybersecurity practices and offering CLE and CPE continuing education credits.
The competition is a 7 month program developed by CyberWyoming and built for those small businesses who do not have information technology help,but want one-on-one, on-the-job, human based training to manage their security risks. Participants commit to 4-6 hours of cyber and tech work each month to meet their security goals.
The 2025 Competition will include a CyberWyoming developed cyber risk score, right sized for small, rural businesses, and the topics of AI, automation, and cloud system integrations in addition to the standard cybersecurity best practices.
“Even companies that have participated in the past may want to join again to get their cyber risk score,” said Laura Baker, Executive Director of CyberWyoming. “We are always learning new things in our changing digital world, so if you haven’t joined up in a few years, consider joining for the new educational tools CyberWyoming has developed,” she continued.
As in the past, the competition offers attorneys up to 35 hours of CLE credits on cybersecurity related topics like Skills Training, Law Practice Management, Ethics, and Business and Corporation Law. It also offers up to 35 CPE credits for accountants for the categories of Business Management & Organization, Management Services, Information Technology, Auditing, Business Law, and Behavioral Ethics. Additional for-credit topics may be applicable to an attorney’s or accountant’s specific field.
Registration continues through May 1, but statistically those that enter early have a better chance of winning and can work the project at a more leisurely pace. Judging reports are due in August and participants are judged on the categories of problem solving/innovation, information security, culture/learning, planning, progress, thoroughness, and presentation.
The first place winners in the categories of No IT Help, Contracted IT Help, and IT Help on Staff speak at Cyber Cheyenne, tentatively scheduled for October 3, 2025.
The competition is free to any Wyoming company because of community minded companies including: 307 Tech Pros, Capitol Communications, Casper College, Concordant, DigeTekS, EvnTec, Factory IT, First Education FCU, First Federal Bank & Trust, First National Bank of Gillette, Gannett Peak Technical Services, HUB International, IECA of Casper, K2 Technologies, Language I/O, the National Cybersecurity Society, PDS Manage, Secure the Village, Sightline Security, Sweetwater Technology Services, TEAM, Manufacturing Works of Wyoming, Whitehat, Wyoming Realtors, and a grant from the Gula Tech Foundation.
Winners speak at prominent statewide conferences, and every participant sleeps better at night. To participate in the competition, business owners or managers should visit https://cyberwyoming.org/programs/competition/.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The competition was developed by CyberWyoming in 2018 to encourage Wyoming small businesses to meet best practices in cybersecurity through a home-grown program called Made Safe in Wyoming™. The competition has gained national and international attention being the only of its kind and in February of 2022, winning a Gula Tech Foundation Award to expand its program in 2023.
About CyberWyoming: Founded in 2017, the nonprofit CyberWyoming, promotes the cybersecurity welfare and prosperity of the Wyoming business community including hands-on, high-touch education of small business stakeholders and technical registered apprenticeship.
Image Caption: Winners of Wyoming’s 2024 Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses at Cyber Cheyenne on October 4, 2024.
Left to right Laura Baker of CyberWyoming, Joseph Whiteplume of High Plains Power in Riverton, Jennifer Clark of the Goat Ladies in Rock River, Mary Keane of CyberWyoming, Shantel Anderson of HighPoint CPAs in Laramie, and Meagan Herrington (2023 winner) of Black Cat Construction in Cheyenne.