Welcome Note from Abhi Thorat, Founder & CTO, Securim
October marked Cybersecurity Awareness Month — a reminder that cybersecurity isn’t a checkbox to tick once a year, but a continuous journey of vigilance, improvement, and partnership. Threats evolve, technologies change, and compliance frameworks adapt to meet them. At Securim, we believe that staying secure means staying proactive — building resilience, not just reacting to risk.
As we introduce this first issue of Your Cyber & Compliance Compass, we also reflect on Veterans Day—honoring those who have served, including the many clients, partners, and colleagues dedicated to protecting our nation in both the physical and digital realms. Your service and commitment inspire the mission behind our work: helping organizations safeguard the systems that keep people safe.
Whether you’re preparing for CMMC certification, improving HIPAA readiness, or tightening your cloud security posture, every proactive step you take helps strengthen the broader ecosystem we all rely on.
This is the first issue of Your Cyber & Compliance Compass, Securim’s monthly newsletter — your inside look at emerging threats, compliance updates, industry insights, and tools to help simplify complex security requirements. Each month, we’ll bring you practical guidance, expert commentary, and resources designed to help your business stay protected, prepared, and compliant.
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Speaking Engagement: Securim leading Cybersecurity & AI Risk Management for the WA State Public Safety working group
We were honored to participate in the WA Public Safety APCO-NENA Annual Conference, where Securim Founder & CTO Abhi Thorat led a session on AI Security and Risk Management in Public Safety Operations.
As agencies adopt next-generation 9-1-1 and AI-driven tools to enhance emergency response, cybersecurity must remain the foundation of trust. Abhi’s talk explored how public safety organizations can leverage artificial intelligence responsibly—balancing innovation with proactive risk management to ensure resilience, compliance, and operational continuity.
SMB Cybersecurity: Start with These 5 Smart Moves
For small and mid-sized businesses, cybersecurity can feel overwhelming — endless frameworks, evolving threats, and limited time to handle it all. But building resilience doesn’t have to mean building complexity.
The key is knowing where to start.
1. Identify and Classify Your Data
You can’t protect what you don’t know you have. Start by mapping your data — what information you collect, where it’s stored, and who has access.
2. Strengthen Access Controls and Enable MFA
Strong passwords aren’t enough. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of defense by verifying user identity through an additional step.
3. Build a Culture of Security Awareness
Your employees are your first line of defense. Launch ongoing awareness training to help your team spot suspicious links and phishing attempts.
4. Develop and Test an Incident Response Plan
Even the best defenses can’t guarantee zero incidents — what matters is how quickly you detect, respond, and recover.
5. Map Your Controls to a Framework
Once the basics are in place, align them with frameworks like CMMC, HIPAA, SOC 2, or PCI DSS for structure and measurable progress.
Download the Cybersecurity Starter Kit for SMBs
Company Spotlight: Rally Point Ventures
This month, we’re honored to highlight Rally Point Ventures, a veteran-founded consulting and business development firm strengthening the connection between innovation and national defense. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Rally Point Ventures helps founders turn breakthrough technologies into real mission impact.
“Rally Point Ventures was built on a simple conviction: America’s warfighters should never go into a fight with second-best technology. We exist to close that gap. We help founders cut through the DoD maze by uniting innovators, operators, and mission-owners, translating between worlds and moving real solutions to the point of need. To us, our work is more than a job, it’s a continuation of service to our country.” — Christopher Pavel, Founder
For companies in cybersecurity, compliance, or defense supply chain sectors, Rally Point Ventures represents a trusted partner helping bridge the gap between innovation and mission delivery.
Learn more: https://rallypointventures.us
Framework Focus: PCI DSS — Protecting Payment Data
and Customer Trust
If your business accepts, processes, or stores credit card information, PCI DSS compliance isn’t optional — it’s essential. Developed by the major credit card brands, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was designed to protect cardholder data and prevent costly breaches, fraud, and reputational damage.
For small and mid-sized businesses, PCI DSS can seem intimidating — but at its core, it’s about one thing: trust. Customers trust you with their payment information every time they make a purchase. Failing to protect it not only risks fines and penalties but can permanently erode that confidence.
Cybercriminals often target SMBs because they assume smaller organizations lack the same defenses as large enterprises. A single breach can expose sensitive customer data, trigger financial loss, and cause irreparable harm to your brand. PCI DSS gives you a roadmap to reduce those risks through proven best practices, including:
• Securing cardholder data through encryption, tokenization, and restricted access.
• Maintaining strong access controls to ensure only authorized personnel can handle payment data.
• Monitoring and testing systems regularly to detect vulnerabilities before attackers do.
• Maintaining an information security policy that sets clear expectations for employees and vendors.
The latest update to PCI DSS — version 4.0 — emphasizes continuous security rather than point-in-time compliance. This means your business should move beyond annual assessments and treat cybersecurity as an ongoing process of monitoring, improvement, and adaptation.
Key enhancements include:
• Greater flexibility in how controls are implemented.
• Stronger authentication and access management requirements.
• Increased focus on risk analysis and validation of security effectiveness.
Compliance may sound complex, but you don’t have to tackle it alone.
Start with these three steps:
1. Identify where payment data is stored, processed, or transmitted.
2. Review your current controls against PCI DSS requirements.
3. Engage a cybersecurity partner to help implement protections and document compliance.
By taking a proactive approach, you’re not just meeting regulatory requirements — you’re protecting your business, your customers, and your reputation.
Learn more: www.securim.com/pci-dss
Closing Note
As we wrap up this first issue of Your cyber & compliance compass, we want to thank you for joining us on this journey — and extend our deepest gratitude to all Veterans for your service and sacrifice. Your dedication to protecting our nation inspires everything we do at Securim.
In next month’s issue, we’ll explore how to build a year-end cybersecurity checklist, spotlight emerging compliance trends for 2026, and share real-world insights from our vCISO team on preparing for new federal requirements.
Until then, stay secure, stay proactive, and remember — resilience is built one step at a time.
Upcoming Cybersecurity and Compliance Events
PNDC Pints & Professionals
December 3, 2025 • Location TBA, PNW
Why this matters: A relaxed networking event among peers in the regional defense/supply chain community — ideal for building partnerships.
PNDC Supply Chain Opportunities Conference – SPACE Themed
December 4, 2025 • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Seattle Airport-Southcenter, Seattle, WA
Why this matters: Focuses on defense supply chain, innovation, and space-themed market opportunities for SMBs in the PNW.
INTERFACE Seattle
December 11, 2025 • Seattle, WA
Why this matters: Covers information security, infrastructure, and disaster recovery topics relevant to SMBs and compliance teams.