Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Joining the esteemed line-up of speakers at the 2023 NHPA Independents Conference Aug. 2-3 in Dallas, Luke Vander Linden and his organization, the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) bring a wealth of knowledge in cybersecurity to help retailers protect their assets. The conference will cover a wide variety of technology topics that apply to all areas of your operation, including marketing, inventory management, e-commerce and more. In preparation for the conference, Hardware Retailing spoke with Vander Linden, who shared his career journey and gave a sneak peek of what attendees will gain from his presentation.
Vander Linden is vice president of membership for RH-ISAC, a cybersecurity sharing and collaboration community for the consumer-facing business sector. He is responsible for member growth and engagement and overall organizational strategy as part of the leadership team. RH-ISAC, which has grown by more than 50% over the past few years, partners with key trade associations to strengthen the collective efforts to improve cybersecurity across the retail and hospitality industries.
“While cyberattacks and hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, many are relying on basic cybercrimes, which means there are many basic steps retailers can take to protect themselves.”
—Luke Vander Linden, Retail and Hospitality ISAC
Hardware Retailing (HR): Tell us about your career journey so far.
Luke Vander Linden (LVL): I did not initially come from the cybersecurity world but from the association world, and so I understand how important associations are to encourage collaboration and serve the professionals in that industry. I’ve also worked in nonprofit fundraising, which uses a lot of the same skill sets as working for an association, just for a different purpose. Before that, I worked in public broadcasting television. It hasn’t been a linear path, but it has been a fun ride so far. And it also proves that nontechnical people can have careers in cybersecurity or at least have a good awareness of it.
HR: How is RH-ISAC helping retailers combat cybersecurity issues?
LVL: The RH-ISAC is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2014, so it’s still fairly young. It was formed as the result of several large cybersecurity breaches in the retail sector about a decade ago. Those breaches made the need for collaboration within the retail industry apparent and showed the industry it needed a secure environment for cybersecurity professionals to collaborate, share threat intelligence and develop best practices and strategies. We started with 30 members and have grown to 230 members since then, representing about 3,000 cybersecurity professionals at those member companies. What our mission really boils down to is providing a space for collaboration, which results in the entire sector being more prepared and better protected from cybercriminals.
HR: What impact did the pandemic have on cybersecurity?
LVL: Now, more than any time in our history, the cybersecurity industry has gone through a period of rapid transformation, especially because of the pandemic. During that time, most retailers essentially became full-time e-commerce companies. Many had never dabbled in online selling or connected with customers online and now they are dealing with online transactions, storing data and other digital challenges. So the pandemic really expanded what we call the attack surface, and it added a tremendous amount of risk and need for collaboration.
HR: What are some of the other cybersecurity trends and current issues retailers need to be aware of?
LVL: I think people have a preconceived notion of cyberattacks coming from highly sophisticated threat actors. While cyberattacks and hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, many are relying on basic techniques, which means there are basic steps retailers can take to protect themselves. These include not using the same password everywhere and making sure all of your systems are updated. Strengthening your defenses with fundamental best practices can go a long way.
HR: Can you give us a sneak peek of what your talk at the 2023 NHPA Independents Conference will cover?
LVL: I’ll discuss some of the trends we’re seeing in both smaller and larger organizations. And we’ll talk about those basic ways retailers can protect themselves. I’ll also go on a deep dive into some of the cybersecurity topics and areas retailers should pay attention to in order to protect their operations. I’m looking forward to meeting your members in Dallas!
Putting Technology to Work for You
August 2-3, 2023 in Dallas
Join us at the 2023 NHPA Independents Conference to discover real-world answers to your technology questions. Find more information and register at YourNHPA.org/conference.
