Protectors at the Gate

The headline-grabbing data security breach at Target late last year was a mere driblet to cyber security expert and former National Security Agency defense contractor John Jorgensen.

The infiltration, which pilfered data from at least 40 million debit and credit cards, was obviously a big deal. But Jorgensen, CEO of the Sylint Group, a fast-growing Sarasota-based cyber security and digital data forensics firm, says the real issue is deeper, and scarier.

It's his belief that hackers, cyber thieves and all around no-good doers now target small and medium-sized businesses, not just global companies like Target or aluminum behemoth Alcoa. Going small, for one, increases the amount of possible victims. Also, smaller firms are less likely to have advanced cyber security systems — not that being big helped Target, Alcoa, or, most recently, eBay.