(Riverton, WY) – High Plains Power, a Riverton power cooperative, captured first place in Wyoming’s 2024 Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses in the category of IT Help on Staff, led by Joseph Whiteplume, Chief Information Security Officer.
Speaking at Cyber Cheyenne on October 4, Whiteplume discussed his journey in cybersecurity from working at the casino to transition to the power co-op industry, which he has been in for over a decade.
“Transitioning from a casino environment, with its large IT team, extensive physical and cyber security systems, and the need to be on call during nights and weekends, to a power cooperative was a significant change. At the power cooperative, the daily schedule is more predictable and consistent, reflecting its mission to ensure a reliable supply of electricity and keeping the lights on,” said Whiteplume.
High Plains Power’s cyber risk score was extremely low at the beginning of the program, which shows how closely Whiteplume watched the organization’s risks. However, it went to 0% at the end of the program, showing that even extremely knowledgeable IT professionals can benefit from a cyber workout buddy. At Cyber Cheyenne, Whiteplume reported that the program strengthened internal relationships and security awareness at the company.
“In a twist of fate, Joe had to deal with the CrowdStrike/Microsoft Windows software conflict exactly when we were working on his Incident Response Plan,” said Laura Baker, Executive Director of CyberWyoming and manager of the Cybersecurity Competition program.
At Cyber Cheyenne, Whiteplume told the story and explained that he had everything up in less than 4 hours, but because he was already in an incident response frame of mind, he didn’t panic and had the fresh to do list in mind and ready to go.
“Laura and the CyberWyoming team are an amazing resource for businesses of all sizes in Wyoming! They are true trailblazers, consistently going above and beyond in cybersecurity training and development. At High Plains Power, we are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such outstanding individuals!” said Whiteplume.
The award was accepted on October 4, 2024, by Whiteplume at the Cyber Cheyenne Conference held at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.
During the award ceremony, 2023 winner Meagan Herrington of Black Cat LLC also announced the winners of the other categories:
No IT Help: The Goat Ladies, Jennifer Clark Head Goat Lady and CEO
Contracted or Consistent IT Help: HighPoint CPAs, Shantel Anderson, Senior Staff Accountant and Nonprofit Specialist
“I am so proud of our three top place companies,” said Baker. “They all worked very hard and were extremely successful in securing their businesses and training their employees. I look forward to seeing their continued security journey.”
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The 2024 Competition was made possible by our members and sponsors: Campbell County Health, Capitol Communications, Casper College, 307 Tech Pros (formerly CPU IT), DigeTekS, EvnTec, Factory IT, First Federal Bank & Trust, First National Bank of Gillette, Gannett Peak Technical Services, HUB International, IECA, K2 Technologies, Language I/O, the National Cybersecurity Society, PDS, Sweetwater Technology Services, TEAM, and Wyoming Manufacturing Works.
For more information about the 2024 Wyoming Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses or to register for the 2025 competition visit: https://www.cyberwyoming.org/competition.
The competition was developed by CyberWyoming in 2018 to encourage Wyoming small businesses to meet best practices in cybersecurity through a home-grown program called Made Safe in Wyoming™. The competition has gained national and international attention being the only of its kind and in February of 2022, winning a Gula Tech Foundation Award to expand its program in 2023.
About CyberWyoming: Founded in 2017, CyberWyoming, a 501(c)6 nonprofit, promotes the cybersecurity welfare and prosperity of the Wyoming business community including hands-on, high-touch education of small business stakeholders and technical registered apprenticeship.