In this post, we will expand on the security guidance and dig further into the details for securing the people, operations, and technology of your cannabis business. Our work for a cannabis investor included assessing security practices and potential investment risk. Although information security has a rapidly evolving, complex landscape, core protections remain consistent across […]
Security Solutions
Preventing an Inside Job: Data Security in the Cannabis Industry
How would your dispensary handle it if your top salesperson or store manager left to work for a competitor? How would your distribution company recover if your competitors started picking off your suppliers, guided by a former employee? How do you protect your intellectual property, including recipes, manufacturing methods, or cultivation practices, from walking out […]
Does your business need security awareness training? Yes, it does.
Employees are the weakest link. Policies and firewalls are not enough to secure your data, staff must be regularly trained. Your organization might have the most robust security program in the world. You may have stringent policies, and the latest and greatest security software tools. You might think your data is safe, but if your […]
Protecting Your Information and Security In Cannabis: Part 1
Small to medium sized entities (SMEs) are under attack. The media attention on the cannabis industry and the large number of SMEs in cannabis make them an attractive target for cybercriminals and hackers. Current headlines show that this trend is picking up. “Data Breach Exposes Data of Thousands of Medical Marijuana Patients“ Awareness without action […]
Sapphire Risk Announces Addition of Managed Integration Services
PRESS RELEASE DALLAS – May 2, 2019 – PRLog — Sapphire Risk Advisory Group announces today they have formed a new division of the company, Sapphire Solutions. This arm, Sapphire Solutions, will focus on the build aspect of new or remodeled cannabis grow or dispensary properties. The new division will offer clients the opportunity to retain Sapphire’s experiences and expertise […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 3: The Security Management Plan
THE SECURITY MANAGEMENT PLAN PART 1in this series explained that to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide for the safety and security of the operation, […]
5 Rules to Avoid the Phishing Bait
Michelle Drolet Bad actors have taken advantage of unpatched systems, software vulnerabilities and increasingly devious forms of malware for years, but their preferred weapon is phishing. While their motives haven’t changed — luring target victims to click highly legitimate-looking emails so they can steal the keys to the castle – their attack methods have grown […]
Validating Cyber Risks in the Cannabis Industry
With information gathered from assets in the underground (involved with the dark web) and conversations with federal authorities, investigations disclosed that, while there is no specific group actively targeting the cannabis industry, there are hackers focusing on three areas within the Seed to Sale lifecycle: research and extraction; growing; and consumption and retail operations. Investigations […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 2: The Security Technology Plan
This article is the second in a series of four (4). PART 1 in this series explained that to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry
Part 1 of 4 In order to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide for the safety and security of the operation, its associates, and the […]
Learn What NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework Can Do for You
An invaluable roadmap for InfoSec management Cybercrime does not differentiate between large, small, private, or public companies. Dispensaries, growers, labs or banks, all cannabis industries need to determine their risk acceptance as they are perceived as an easy target. Many utilize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) CSF requirements to manage security risks […]
Holiday Security for Dispensaries
Since the cannabis holiday season operates differently from the rest of the year, you need to understand exactly how your current programs handle security and safety. After you understand your current programs, you need to plan what would be an efficient way to manage these programs when there are a lot more people in your […]
Smart, Secure Environments: How Deep Learning Can Boost Safety
By Steve Birkmeier The current and projected explosive growth of the cannabis market has created a wide variety of opportunities for various stakeholders, delivering exciting benefits in a number of aspects, such as job and tax revenue creation. But it is not an industry without challenges, with one of the most important being the necessity […]
What Cannabis Companies Should Know About Data Security and Breach Response Requirements
Cannabis companies should remain mindful of the importance of creating and maintaining a comprehensive written data security program. No cannabis company should aspire to being subject to response costs, regulatory fines, and potential lawsuits that follow the theft or inadvertent disclosures of legally protected or commercially sensitive data or, even worse, harming customers by enabling […]
8 Steps to Secure Unmanaged Devices in the Enterprise
By Michelle Drolet As more and more exploitable endpoints find their way onto our networks we need to act to secure them. This article will highlight practical strategies to help you secure IoT, mobile and other devices that require attention. For many years now, enterprise networks have seen a steady stream of new devices that […]
Turn Your Video Surveillance System into a Triple Threat
By Jeff Corrall Astute cannabis business owners are improving loss prevention, operations and performance with integrated video, POS and fixed RFID data Like most business owners, cannabis operators have a thousand items on their ‘to do’ list each day, and reviewing video from their video surveillance system is probably not one of them. But expect […]
Combining Effective Security and Business Operations for Success
By Steve Birkmeier There’s no denying the tremendous evolution we’ve seen in the cannabis market over the last few years, and all signs point toward this expansion continuing from here. Spending on legal cannabis worldwide is expected to reach $57 billion by 2027, with North America’s spending projected to rise from $9.2 billion in 2017 […]
8 cybersecurity trends to watch for 2018
By Michelle Drolet As we stand on the threshold of another year, the war for our cybersecurity rages on. There have been many data breaches in 2017, most notably for Equifax, Verizon, and Kmart. But if you seek a silver lining in the cloud, perhaps you’ll be glad of the news that the global average […]
