How A Virtual Security Advisor add-on Helped Keep Client Data Safe
Hear how the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County took extra precautions to keep their client and community safe.
For the past 50 years, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County has acted as the County’s designated local arts agency.
A staple in the community, AHCMC provides infrastructure, advocacy, marketing, professional development, and direct support through grantmaking to over 500 cultural organizations and 2,000 independent artists in the most populous county in the state of Maryland. With a program portfolio so diverse, AHCMC’s technology infrastructure and security has had to grow more robust to meet the needs of its community and staff.
AHCMC’s journey toward digital transformation began in the mid-2010s with the migration of all their systems and servers to the cloud. Joe Frandoni, Deputy Director at AHCMC, championed a shift to Managed IT Services with Tech Impact, which gave staff unlimited access to a Help Desk, strategic planning, account management, and continuous network monitoring and maintenance. The organization later transitioned their phones to a VoIP system, making AHCMC a fully cloud-based organization. This shift not only enhanced their security and compliance, but also ensured reliable access to essential files and email in emergencies, such as the pandemic in 2020.
As time went on, the AHCMC team began to focus more intently on the persistent and evolving security threats affecting not just the nonprofit sector, but grantmaking organizations as well. “We didn’t experience an attack ourselves, but we were hearing about the uptick in attacks within our field and wanted to stay ahead of it. We noticed more phishing emails, more unusual activity – it was clear we needed to strengthen our setup.”
Joe and his team, including his colleague Mary Nichols who was hired to help manage IT, security, and databases within the organization, decided to add a monthly Security Advisor to their partnership with Tech Impact, providing them with a dedicated cybersecurity expert. “We handle very sensitive data, including personal identifying information and banking details of our partners and grantees. Having a dedicated security advisor to support our mission and our team was crucial for feeling confident in our procedures and systems, and for ensuring our partners felt secure as well.”
Today, Joe and his team meet each month with Daniel, one of Tech Impact’s cybersecurity specialists, to review logs, receive forecasting and guidance, and navigate the complex requirements associated with distributing funds online. Additionally, Daniel helps the team prioritize security tasks so that they stay current with insurance and compliance requirements, spreading the workload throughout the year rather than facing a long list of tasks all at once. “Nonprofits have limited time and resources, so tackling a few things each month is far more manageable than confronting a long list of tasks at the end of the year.”
The AHCMC team doesn’t rely solely on Tech Impact to mitigate cyber risk, they also make sure every staff member is trained to spot phishing emails and unusual activity. “We encourage our team to question what they see and always ask for clarification. I’d rather you send me or the Tech Impact team1,000 emails to check their legitimacy than click on the one that could expose our network to malicious activity.”
With a two-pronged approach - dedicated support from a cybersecurity expert alongside a vigilant, well-trained workforce, AHCMC is as protected as possible in today’s environment. “Attacks are always changing, the landscape is always evolving, and we’re committed to doing everything we can to keep our team and partners safe so they can focus on making the arts community in Montgomery County a thriving pillar and destination for all.”