Photo caption: William Enck, Goodnight distinguished professor in Security Sciences; Laura Rodgers, director of Cybersecurity Practice in NC State's Secure Computing Institute; and the NC State CyberCoach NC team present their AI-powered chatbot to State CISO Bernice Russell-Bond and her team at the N.C. Department of Information Technology. (Photo courtesy of NC State)
Small businesses in North Carolina now have a free resource for cybersecurity guidance, thanks to a partnership with the N.C. Department of Information Technology, North Carolina State University students, Cisco, and the N.C. Department of Secretary of State.
The Enterprise Security and Risk Management Office has launched CyberCoach NC, an AI-powered chatbot that translates complex cybersecurity guidance into simple, actionable steps. Covering everything from phishing prevention to incident response, it gives business owners clear, practical cybersecurity guidance any time they need it.
"This is what partnership looks like," Deputy State Chief Information Security Officer Jennifer Fix said. "We took fresh ideas from NC State students and created a tool that meets small businesses where they are. Many of the 1 million small businesses in N.C. don't have a dedicated cybersecurity team, and now they have 24x7 support when they need it."
Students in NC State’s Cybersecurity Practicum course, in collaboration with Cisco, designed the prototype and presented the chatbot to ESRMO. NCDIT then took the prototype and worked with Cisco and the Secretary of State to prepare it for launch.
"Our partners at NC State like to tell students, 'You are a cyber warrior,' and that is true for every small business owner in North Carolina," State Chief Information Security Officer Bernice Russell-Bond said. "Whether you have five employees or 500, you are protecting customer data, your networks, and your livelihood. CyberCoach NC gives you a simple place to start."
Know a small business owner? Point them to CyberCoach NC at cybercoach.nc.gov. It's free, and available whenever they need cybersecurity guidance.