alliantgroup’s Leadership, Technology & Policy Summit took place on November 7th and 8th at our Houston headquarters. During the event, renowned experts from the fields of technology, cybersecurity, business management and tax policy discussed important topics that directly apply to integrators across the United States.
Is Your Data Safe?
The main topic of discussion focused on an issue threatening small and mid-sized companies every day: cybersecurity. Even if you operate a technology-based company, your business could benefit from a third-party review of your cybersecurity hygiene. While you may employ the best-of-the-best in tech, unless their focus is completely on protecting your digital landscape – you could still be at risk.
While integrators and software/tech companies often consider themselves at the forefront of digital innovation, most fail to recognize that the number one threat to their cybersecurity is their own employees. According to research, 93% of all data breaches investigated originated from an employee falling victim to phishing attacks.
alliantgroup Cybersecurity Vice President Jon Murphy, who has over 25 years of experience in delivering cybersecurity solutions to businesses and governmental entities, knows the reality of the capabilities that cyber criminals or these “bad actors” possess. “The bad actors are now able to crank out four to five completely new attacks per second. It’s much more than just technology, and that’s what the security team brings. It’s about people, process and technology.”
Incentives for Integrators
If your company has already taken steps to improve data protection, implemented integrated security solutions or any number of other cybersecurity measures, you could be eligible to benefit from powerful, government-sponsored tax savings.
In fact, these tax incentives were designed to reward integrators for a variety of activities, including activities that could be considered routine work. Things like sequencing of system operations, programming software source code, and developing processes that would meet increasing regulatory requirements are just a few examples of qualifying activities.
Leadership and Management Trends
The event began with an interactive lecture from Thomas DeLong, a Senior Fellow, former Philip J. Stomberg Professor at the Harvard Business School and author of “Flying Without a Net”—a book recognized by the editors of Amazon publishing as one of the top ten books written on leadership this century.
According to DeLong, getting the company’s professionals to completely buy into the organization (to form what he referred to as a “covenantal relationship”) is the key to creating a high-performance culture and building a sustainable organization—and such a relationship can only be achieved when leadership invests in and builds those lasting interpersonal relationships with their developing professionals. Creating a culture of professional development often requires pushing people out of their comfort zones, but in DeLong’s eyes, allowing employees to stumble to learn new roles is a necessary step in ensuring organizational and professional growth.
To learn more about the event, or to see if your company can qualify for valuable tax credits and incentives – please complete the contact form below.
