About Kirsten Bay:

Cysurance was co-founded by Kirsten Bay, a leader with more than 25 years of experience in risk intelligence, information management, and cybersecurity. After serving as CEO of big data and cybersecurity companies, and helping to shape national cyber policy through congressional committees, Kirsten saw the same problem again and again: traditional insurance wasn't calibrated to the reality of modern security practices. Premiums and deductibles were growing, but they weren't aligned with the actual protections being put in place. Kirsten knew the industry needed a shift that rewarded strong security programs instead of penalizing them. By certifying, warranting, and insuring security solutions that meet the highest standards, Cysurance helps organizations prove their security posture, reduce risk, and access coverage that matches their real-world protections. The result is better outcomes for providers, insurers, and most importantly, the clients they serve.

• Why cyber insurance is essential for every organization and how threats ultimately determine the value of your data.
• How shifting from zero-incidents to severity management turn catastrophic breaches into manageable events.
• The disconnect between security posture and insurance, and how better controls lead to smart risk decisions.
• The five foundational controls: MFA, patching, immutable backups, strong passwords, segmentation, and how they can drop your risk curve by 60-70%.
• How reusing passwords and poor segmentation contributed to major breaches like 23andMe, and how to avoid similar pitfalls.
• Why MSPs are critical partners, especially with 88% of SMBs outsourcing IT and security.
• The communication gap between leadership and IT, and why fear-based messaging fails to drive action.
• Cybersecurity as an accessible, practical discipline and not a dark art, using tools most organizations already have.

About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.

About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South.

• Why onboarding sets the tone for the entire employee or client relationship, and how a strong first impression builds trust, clarity, and long-term mutual respect.
• How small creative agencies can improve onboarding through proactive communication, keeping additional equipment on hand, and aligning processes with IT or internal teams every 3-6 months.
• How to manage IT equipment lifecycle efficiently, with recommended refresh cycles to reduce downtime and control replacement costs.
• Why offboarding is not just an HR task but a critical cybersecurity function that requires clarity, empathy, and rigorous documentation.
• The risks of incomplete offboarding, including unsecured dormant accounts and former employees retaining access to sensitive systems like accounting platforms or email servers.
• Why documented procedures, defined responsibilities, and an accurate inventory of equipment and applications are foundational to secure onboarding, offboarding, and overall IT governance.

About Georg Dauterman:Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.

About Megan Quick:Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South.

• Why managed service providers specialize in either Mac or PC environments, and why Macs hold a strong presence in creative and agency IT ecosystems.
• The key difference between macOS and Windows, including macOS's Unix-based foundation and Apple's tightly integrated hardware-software security model.
• Three important first steps to secure a Mac ecosystem: protecting your Apple ID, creating a dedicated admin account, and enabling full-disk encryption with FileVault.
• The benefits of encryption, and how it scrambles data using a cryptographic key to protect sensitive information if a device is lost or stolen.
• How to approach macOS updates strategically, including why businesses should avoid day-one releases and follow a 90-day deployment cycle.
• How to secure company data on employee-owned iPhones and iPads through clear policies and mobile device management solutions.
• Why modern Mac hardware often delivers a longer lifecycle and lower total cost of ownership.
• The security risks of hybrid Mac and PC environments, and why under-managing Mac security compared to Windows can create hidden vulnerabilities.

About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.

About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South.

• How to manage contractors with the same IT security rigor as full-time employees.
• Three essential IT onboarding steps, including defining role-based tech profiles, applying the concept of least privilege, and documenting contract timelines.
• How strong NDAs and predefined access permissions reduce legal risk and prevent contractors from holding sensitive work or data hostage.
• Why issuing company-controlled devices or virtual desktops strengthens cybersecurity and simplifies offboarding.
• How undocumented systems and generic logins create vulnerability, and how extending internal security policies to third parties mitigates risk.
• Why close coordination between HR and IT with a firm access end date is the most critical step in secure contractor offboarding.
• How a small investment in upfront IT planning can prevent major security, compliance, and operational issues down the road.

About Georg Dauterman:Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.

About Megan Quick:Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South.

• Why managed IT is important for creative and PR agencies, and how secure IT infrastructure protects client data and supports creative work.
• The biggest challenges agencies currently face, including compliance risk, cybersecurity gaps, and inefficient systems.
• How master service agreements can expose agencies to hidden legal and data security risks.
• Why agencies undervalue data from client information to employee and financial records, and how you can protect it.
• How poor IT processes create friction in onboarding, offboarding, and day to day operations.
• Common mistakes growing agencies make, including using high-level executives for basic IT tasks.
• When to hire a managed service provider and the signs you've outgrown DIY IT.
• Three steps to take to strengthen your agency's IT foundation, including system audits, cloud security reviews, and documented onboarding processes.