NAPEO
March 2023
THIS MONTH'S FOCUS: Cybersecurity
FROM HR MANAGER TO PEO OWNER: Celeste Johnson and The Applied Companies
Celeste Johnson leads Reno, Nevada-based The Applied Companies (TAC). A regional PEO that also boasts a robust recruiting services division, TAC is dedicated to serving northern Nevada as its premier workforce solution. Johnson’s team is committed to high touch service and providing clients the custom tools they need to grow and thrive. Today, she’s the owner and CEO of the company, but her career path in the HR world began as a summer job while still in college.
BY Chris Chaney
March 2023CONTENTS
FEATURED
TURNING RISK INTO REWARD: THE CYBER OPPORTUNITY
The exposure of being an employer is dynamic and untenable for a small employer, which is why PEOs are so crucial to businesses. While core PEO responsibilities such as payroll, procurement of workers’ compensation, and human resources are foundational value propositions to assist employers, in addition to these areas what makes one PEO more attractive than another in the selection process? What is the biggest problem to solve for your client company? Maybe it’s safety. Usually, the area where they lack the most understanding and support is in cyber defense. Every client of yours is a sitting duck for a hacker and you can help.
BY Paul Hughes
March 2023
DISASTER RECOVERY FOR PEOS
Disasters are inevitable, and their timing is unpredictable. Preparing your company and employees before disaster strikes can make the difference between a catastrophe or an inconvenience. While no one wants to experience a business disruption, especially any technology-related disruption, there are many reasons that you could end up in that position.
BY Hamesh Chawla
March 2023
IS YOUR COMPANY ALREADY IN THE CROSSHAIRS?
We all have locks and alarms on our homes, businesses, and vehicles. None of us would think about leaving our property unguarded. Why would you take the chance with your digital property? So, what can PEOs do internally to help secure the vulnerable areas of their business? As IT Manager at ESI, I have the task of guarding the gates of ESI through various techniques. Hopefully, by sharing some of these techniques, we will add some nuggets to your cybersecurity protocol.
BY Russell James
March 2023
PROTECTING THE PEO: THE EMPLOYEE’S IMPACT ON CLIENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL SECURITY
Every business faces different challenges whether from competitors, market changes, supply chain disruptions, or myriad external or internal forces. Yet every business, regardless of size or industry, faces a common threat: the security of critical data. Whether it’s the leak of proprietary business information or customer data, or a breach, or a malicious software attack, it can be devastating. Security incidents result in disruption, fines and a loss in customer confidence that can take years to recover.
BY Geoff Webb
March 2023
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK A CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER ABOUT CYBERSECURITY
One of the questions I’m frequently asked by PEOs is simple: Is the cloud safe? Actually, this is a trickier question than it seems. The answer is yes, of course, but like any internet-based endeavor, there are certainly many caveats. Cloud security requires you to think about security differently than on-premise security or data center security.
BY Dwayne Smith
March 2023
WHY CYBERSECURITY SHOULD NOT BE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE IT DEPARTMENT
Cybersecurity is an essential aspect of business operations, which is why it cannot be viewed as the sole responsibility of the IT department. Cybersecurity threats evolve daily and organizations can best prepare and protect themselves by taking a shared responsibility to protect the company’s assets and data.
BY Jenna Marceau
March 2023TRACKS
Have you ever blinked your eyes and a whole month has flown by? For me, that was February. I knew it would be action packed - but wow! I blinked, and it was gone. NAPEO Staff were seen across the country. Welcome Jason Gabhart, our new senior director of state government affairs, to the NAPEO team! In California, a strategy meeting was held to map out a game plan for needed legislation benefiting our industry in California.
BY Kristen J. Appleman
March 2023THE CYBER SEA: Lessons in Leadership, Identity, and Hard Work
As chief information security officer at PrismHR, Dwayne Smith leads the company’s cybersecurity efforts. He works to strengthen cyber defenses, and guard vital information from internal and external threats. A vast and evolving field, cybersecurity requires constant vigilance, training, and adaptation. Smith may be a relative newcomer to the PEO industry, but his background boasts impressive cyber credentials from service in the United States Navy, consulting with government agencies, and leading cybersecurity efforts for Cummins, Inc., a large multinational company.
BY Chris Chaney
March 2023STATE PAID FAMILY LEAVE LAWS: WHAT PEOS NEED TO KNOW
As more and more states adopt paid family leave laws, the PEO industry is confronted with both challenges and opportunities as we adapt and manage these laws on behalf of our worksite employer clients. Like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) or the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), and other laws that have been bestowed on us, we are in a great position to use what we have learned and accomplished over the years to handle the challenges brought on by state paid family leave laws.
BY Tom Jacobs
March 2023Welcome to the cyber issue! I don’t know if there is any issue that is a bigger threat to the industry than cybersecurity, and it has exploded in importance just in the past few years. The arc of its prominence has gone almost straight up.
BY Pat Cleary
March 2023EMPLOYER PRIORITIES FOR HEALTHCARE IN 2023
Employers are recognizing that virtual care has not fully eliminated barriers to access, and that an exclusively virtual strategy can fragment the care experience and lead to wasteful spending. In articulating priorities for 2023 during the Fall 2022 roundtable session with One Medical, organized by the Employer Health Innovation Roundtable, more than 1 in 4 employers cited lack of access to care as a primary concern, and 1 in 4 employers expressed concern over fragmented care.
BY One Medical
March 2023BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS LEADS TO BETTER OUTCOMES FOR ALL
A PEO is only as strong as its client relationships. From ownership to worksite employees, we need to be engaged at every level of our clients’ teams. Of course, strong connections between owners and executives build trust that is needed to develop successful relationships.
BY Sam Rathbun
March 2023