Have a Burning Business Question? Ask Our Security Expert: Gary Davis. As Intel's chief consumer security evangelist, Gary Davis is looking to take your questions about security, including privacy, breaches, protecting your data, Internet of Things and managing threats.
By Andrea Huspeni •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Cybersecurity. It's a threat that can strike any business, any size, any time.
Yet, often smaller sized companies feel they can fly under the radar and don't feel threatened by hackers who have wreaked havoc on bigger companies – Target, Michaels and Home Depot, to name a few. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Indeed, startups face the same, if not, greater risk, of being a target for security breach -- something that could be an end to an entrepreneur's dreams rather quickly.
Thankfully, we have Gary Davis as our expert. As the chief consumer security evangelist of Intel Security, he knows a thing or two about security and is looking to help entrepreneurs.
Related: Verizon Hacked, With Data of 1.5 Million Customers Stolen
"Having spent the lion's share of my career in early stage companies and startups including being a founder, I have a special appreciation for the types of challenges that entrepreneurs face," Davis says. "Sharing what I've learned about cybersecurity with them in a relevant way would be something that I would have appreciated when I was in their position."
During his time at Intel Security, Davis has worked closely with internal teams to ensure products and services meet customer need by staying on the forefront of security and evolving as technology changes.
He also educates other businesses and consumers by having an active voice online, publishing articles and speaking about security issues to various outlets including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, CNET, USA Today Fox News and CNBC. He also travels to various conferences around the world to discuss how to remain safe online.
Related: Meet the Middlemen Who Connect Hackers for Hire With Corporate America
In his tenure at Intel, Davis helped shaped the company's strategies and plans, which led to record bookings in 2015 in the Consumer business and equating to double-digit growth over the previous year. Also, his security education series was one of the most successful campaigns ever launched by Intel, resulting in 129 million impressions.
Prior to his role at Intel Security, Davis served in various management roles for the past 15 years, including overseeing security, consumer education software, social media and B2B integration.
Outside of work, Davis serves on the board of directors of the National Cyber Security Alliance and is looking forward to using his expertise to have an impact on our readers.
"Cybersecurity impacts all of us. Entrepreneurs need to be informed and educated on what's going on in this space and what actions to take to safeguard their business from bad actors," Davis says. "Being informed can help entrepreneurs better plan and budget for the business costs associated with cybersecurity."
We are honored to have Davis as our security expert for the month of May. He can speak on a number of topics pertaining to security, including privacy, breaches, protecting your data, Internet of Things and managing threats.
Got a question you would like answered? Submit your questions by tweeting us, using the hashtag #ENTexpert. One topic will be selected by the editors of Entrepreneur and addressed by Davis in a weekly writeup.
Related: 6 Reasons Smart Small Business Owners Invest In Security
