We first met Michael Moore of Southlake-based M3 Networks when he proved himself resourceful enough to bring the leading cybersecurity expert from the FBI, Brett Leatherman, to join him for a cybersecurity webinar that the Business Press hosted on May 27.
Leatherman is the Assistant Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Office, and he takes the lead nationally on cybersecurity breaches, among his many responsibilities. Leatherman, in other words, is on the front lines in the cybersecurity battle.
With heightened awareness of hackers extorting companies for cash and digital currencies, the Business Press needed to introduce subject matter experts to our readers so they could recognize the urgency of their risk and the measures that needed to be taken to protect their enterprises. Moore and Leatherman did so well in the webinar they have taken that show on the road with presentations in Fort Worth and Hurst, and there are more events on the horizon.
Moore has taken up the cybersecurity cause with a passion, and his efforts earned him the Top 100 Business Advocate Award presented by the Business Press at its annual Top 100 event Dec. 1.
In the Business Press and other media, such as NBC5, Moore has carried the banner to keep the subject front and center.
As he said in a recent commentary in the Business Press: “… we are seeing not only an increase in the number of cybersecurity attacks, but also in the severity of the attacks. Hackers have become emboldened with the knowledge that companies and individuals are willing to pay even more than they had originally anticipated. This leads to demanding higher ransoms.”
So, let’s say you pay the ransom – problem solved, right? Hardly. Moore goes on to explain that once a ransom is paid, “you are then placed on a target list of companies and people who are willing to pay ransoms.”
While the subject is serious, Moore is not afraid to keep the audience engaged, if not amused.
Moore captivated a Downtown Rotary audience by dying his hair blue and wearing a casual shirt with a blue duck pattern. In his words, “The blue hair matches the color of the ducks, and we’re ALL sitting ducks if we don’t start taking our cybersecurity seriously!” The audience of business and community leaders got the point.
Moore and Leatherman have continued to partner up to spread the word about cybersecurity. In addition to the Downtown Rotary, the two have presented programs at the Hurst Euless Bedford Chamber of Commerce with others in the pipeline.
But Moore keeps his priorities straight. He and Leatherman were scheduled to share the podium at the Nov. 5 Heart of North Texas Conference in Hurst as the keynote speakers before 275 attendees. Unfortunately, Moore’s grandmother passed away so he could not participate. A member of the M3 Networks team filled in admirably.
Placing family first at a time conflicting with a major business event was a no-brainer for Moore.
The Business Press has been so impressed with Moore that he has become a go-to expert both for the publication and for other media. But it all fits both his – and our – priorities: advocating on behalf of business on an issue of crucial importance.