Month: March 2017

New York state has adopted a cybersecurity regulation that officials say will protect New York’s financial services industry and consumers from the threat of cyber attacks. It took effect March 1.

The regulation requires banks, insurance companies and other financial services institutions regulated by the Department of Financial Services to establish and maintain a cybersecurity program designed to protect consumers’ private data and ensure the safety and soundness of New York’s financial services industry.

“New York is the financial capital of the world, and it is critical that we do everything in our power to protect consumers and our financial system from the ever increasing threat of cyber-attacks,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

He said the protections “will help ensure this industry has the necessary safeguards in place in order to protect themselves and the New Yorkers they serve from the serious economic harm caused by these devastating cyber-crimes.”

State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo said the  regulation “is ensuring that New York consumers can trust that their financial institutions have protocols in place to protect the security and privacy of their sensitive personal information. As our global financial network becomes even more interconnected and entities around the world increasingly suffer information breaches, New York is leading the charge to combat the ever-increasing risk of cyber-attacks.”

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in February launched a new website that provides early-stage, clean-energy entrepreneurs with individual, secure business assessments and resources to help them grow their companies.

Officials said the success of clean tech companies is vital to advancing the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to build a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.

The website, www.StartupGPS.org, features an interactive survey enabling entrepreneurs to supply information that will be used to assess their team skills, product development, marketing and internal operations. Upon completion of the survey, users receive a report showing core business development areas that are the most complete and which ones need attention.

Technologies developed by new and emerging clean energy companies will help New York meet the Clean Energy Standard to have 50 percent of electricity used in the state come from renewable sources by 2030, officials said.

“New York State is attracting more and more clean tech entrepreneurs,” said John B. Rhodes, president and CEO, NYSERDA. “StartupGPS.org is another state resource to help these innovative companies create jobs here as we continue to build a robust clean energy economy.”

Along with the survey report, companies are guided toward the most helpful resources in the StartupGPS.org library of more than 300 documents, templates, articles and presentations organized by topic. Website visitors do not need to complete the survey to access the library. Reports with the private, secure results of the business assessments are stored by the website so each company can track its progress. The reports can be deleted at the company’s request at any time.