Utah is home to some of the nation’s most talented small businesses and innovators. Our state has over 333,661 small businesses, representing 99.3% of all companies. As a Utah resident and a part of my family’s business, I work closely with many other Utah businesses, helping employers of all sizes navigate complex insurance options and employee benefit solutions to ensure they can best support and grow their workforce.

Technology platforms are vital tools that we use to help businesses leverage and utilize these resources. But as technology continues to play a pivotal role in the operations of businesses, the rising threats of cyberattacks and data breaches are also something businesses have to consider. Cybersecurity threats affect not only large corporations, but small businesses are increasingly becoming targets.

China and other adversaries have invested resources into their hacking capabilities in order to infiltrate business systems and potentially steal intellectual property or data. Strengthening cyber defenses can protect sensitive information, minimize risks, and fortify our small business sectors’ resilience against future attacks.

Policymakers are rightly paying attention to these vulnerabilities, and I would encourage them to continue to work closely with our innovators both here in Utah and across the country to ensure American companies can help bolster cyber protections against bad actors.

Smart policy solutions that facilitate partnerships between U.S. technology companies, both large and small, will collectively enhance cyber protections and ensure small businesses can fend off hacks from adversaries like China and Russia.

Luke McDermott

South Jordan

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