Why Small Businesses Don’t Take Security Seriously - And How to Fix That with 3 Simple Shifts

Most small and mid-sized businesses think security is a “big company problem” until they get hacked, blacklisted, or lose customer trust overnight. And while OpenSSL powers a massive portion of the internet, these same businesses often have no idea what it is or how it affects them. In this talk, Brandan Payne breaks down the mindset gap between technical professionals and small business owners, and offers three simple shifts to close that gap and promote better adoption of secure practices. You’ll learn: /Why the biggest security risk isn’t bad code, it’s communication /How to position OpenSSL and encryption as a business asset, not a tech hurdle /A practical framework for educating small teams without overwhelming them This session is ideal for developers, security engineers, and compliance pros who want to better engage real-world clients, as well as anyone advocating for stronger small business security practices within the OpenSSL ecosystem.