Handling sensitive information is now one of the most critical responsibilities faced by the modern insurance agency. Independent agents and brokers must property collect and protect sensitive client information every day. This means you must comply with state and federal regulations with regards to privacy laws.

Consider this:

In 2018, 67% of data breaches hit small businesses - up from 61% in 2017, and 53% in 2016.

Cyber attacks cost small businesses between $84,000 and $148,000, and can reach $690,000.

60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of an attack.

    - ACT Agency Cyber Guide 2.0

Can you afford not to protect your agency?

---

Avoid an Agency and Personal Financial Disaster, Make Cyber Security Your Agency’s Priority - Webinar Series

The IIA of IL strives to be your number # resource. That's why, over the next few months, we are hosting a series of webinars, plus a 2-hour CE course at CONVO, to help you navigate all that is cyber security. We want to help our members to not only understand the current Mandated Data Privacy and Security Laws, but also to develop a plan to become compliant with them. 

Instructors
Brian McSherry, VP Agents Insurance Services
Bill Larson, NatGen Security Consulting Partner

These webinars will not have CE credit as they will last between 30-45 minutes. Webinars will be recorded for future access.

---

August 21, 10:00 am - Webinar 1 of 4
Instructors will present an overview of the exposures that your agency currently has if you have not met the compliance standards for both State and Federal Data Privacy and Security Laws. Learn what you need to know to avoid a disastrous financial situation if your agency is currently self-insuring these exposures.

Register

September 5, 10:00 am - Webinar 2 of 4
Instructors will review an agency’s financial exposure to the current Mandatory Data and Security Privacy Laws as discussed in the first webinar and explain, in much greater detail, these specific exposures as they apply to an agency and to an agency owner. Financial Ramifications of these laws, if the agency is not in compliance, will also be discussed.

Register

September 18, 10:00 am - Webinar 3 of 4
Agency Contracts will be reviewed as to their Data Privacy and Security Compliance Requirements. An agency must be compliant with both State and Federal Laws which include Data Privacy and Security Laws. This language is contained in every agency contract. These contracts are executed both corporately and personally. If your agency is not compliant with these laws and the insurance carrier incurs a Loss, by contract, the agency is required to reimburse the carrier for all losses it incurs by agency negligence of not being in compliance.

Register

October 16, 10:00 am - Webinar 4 of 4
IIABA/Big I – through their ACT Division, has determined that the potential exposure to its agency members is so severe, that they developed the Agency Cyber Guide to help agencies begin their compliance process with the Data Privacy and Security Laws. Instructors will be using the current edition, Cyber Guide 2.0, as the learning tool in this webinar and explain how an agency should use all sections to begin their compliance process.

Register

---

October 2 - 2 Hour CE Course at CONVO
This course will be taught at CONVO and will encompass all of the major aspects of the webinars.

Instructors

Brian McSherry
Brian McSherry is Vice President Agents Insurance Services, Inc. a subsidiary of the IIA of IL. He began his professional insurance career as a sole producer of new and renewal business for both commercial and personal lines. In 1981, he purchased Huxtable Insurance Agency, Inc. and held the position of President.

In 2004, McSherry was instrumental in the acquisition of two agencies that led to the formation of the McSherry Agency, Inc. This increased the service-area footprint and grew written premiums from $1M to its current premium volume of over $3M.

In 2005, as the founding Partner of Premier Ag Partners LLC, Brian managed a cluster arrangement of six agencies specializing in Crop Hail and Multi-Peril Crop insurance. Initial premium volume was approximately $9M and, over the course of seven years, the company grew to 26 member agencies generating $32M in premium volume.

​In 2012 McSherry was one of four founding partners of Premier Ag Farm Partners LLC, a wholesale agency specializing in processing Multi-Peril and Crop Hail insurance. In addition to offering processing services for crop insurance, the agency offers farm property, liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and excess liability coverage to retail agencies. It currently processes crop insurance business for four agencies and provides farm insurance coverage for over 25 retail agencies generating over $400K in premiums.

​Throughout his career he has been active in insurance industry professional associations at the local, state, and national level. As past Chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) Crop Insurance Task Force, he met regularly with members of Congress, the Risk Management Administration, and the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors to discuss the role of and the issues affecting independent insurance agents in the delivery and service of the Multi-Peril Crop Insurance program. He has testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management on the role of Independent Agents and the impact of commission caps on the delivery system.

Previously McSherry served as IIA of IL State National Director from 2007 to 2015.

---

Bill Larson
For more than 40 years, Bill Larson has provided cost effective programs to protect a business’s profits and its financial integrity.  Larson is a partner in NetGen Data Security Consulting. NetGen assists businesses in developing Data Security Plans, Policies and Procedures necessary to Comply with the Data Security and Privacy Laws.

Larson is President of Profit Protection Risk Management Consulting – Specializing in Protecting Corporate Profits from the effects of the current Data Security and Privacy Laws, Chairman of the IIABA/ACT HIPAA Workgroup leading the study of compliance and liability exposures associated with Data Security and Privacy Laws for the Independent Insurance Agent and a leading member of the IIABA/ACT Security Issues Workgroup which developed, and continuously updates, the ACT Cyber Guide.

Bill is involved in continuous development of Data Security/Privacy Risk Management Programs endorsed by various local and state associations and is the co-author of several articles on Data Security/Privacy for various Insurance Publications.