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The employer's guide to cybersecurity training: protecting your team against local threats. If you own or manage a business you've probably had this thought: "We're a small logistics company (or healthcare clinic, or accounting firm). Hackers only care about Wall Street and Fortune 500s. Why would they target us?" It's a comforting thought. Unfortunately, it's completely false. Cybercriminals aren't just looking for massive payouts; they're looking for easy targets. And the easiest way into any corporate network isn't by hacking a complicated firewall - it's by tricking a human being into opening the front door. Local businesses are actively under siege. In recent years, ThrottleNet, Inc. has seen the devastating BJC Healthcare phishing breach that compromised sensitive employee and patient accounts. Just down the road in Clayton, a local wealth management firm had $1.1 million stolen straight from their accounts through a sophisticated email fraud scheme. These weren't failures of technology. They were manipulations of human psychology. In this guide, ThrottleNet, Inc. is going to pull back the curtain on how modern cybercriminals target Midwest businesses. More importantly, ThrottleNet, Inc.'ll show you how to transform your employees from your biggest vulnerability into an impenetrable "Human Firewall." The "behavior over compliance" Aha moment. For years, the standard approach to cybersecurity training has been treating it like a compliance chore. HR hands a new hire a dusty handbook, makes them watch a dry, 45-minute corporate security training video, and has them sign a piece of paper. But does this actually work? According to a recent UC San Diego study, standard corporate training programs do incredibly little to stop employees from falling for phishing attacks. The study revealed a massive gap between generic, compliance-driven theory and real-world behavioral change. Here's the "aha moment": Clicking a malicious link isn't a technical error. It's a psychological one. Scammers use universal human triggers - urgency ("Your account will be suspended in 24 hours"), authority ("This is the CEO, I need a favor"), and fear ("We have detected a breach on your device"). Generic training teaches employees what a phishing email is. Modern behavioral training conditions employees on how to react when their psychological buttons are being pushed. Anatomy of a local scam: how businesses get targeted. To understand why generic training fails, you have to look at the hyper-local, highly sophisticated threats your team is facing right now. The days of the "Nigerian Prince" scam are long gone. Today, attacks look remarkably normal. 1. Phishing and spear-phishing (the fake vendor invoice). Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from a reputable source. But spear-phishing is highly targeted. Imagine your accounts payable clerk receives an email that looks exactly like an invoice from a St. Louis-based logistics company you actually do business with. The logo is right. The sender's name is familiar. The email simply says, "Hi, please note we have updated our banking routing details for this month's invoice. Please wire payment to the new account below." If your employee hasn't been conditioned to verify payment changes via a secondary method (like a phone call), that money is gone. 2. Social engineering (the human hack). Social engineering is a broad term for manipulating people so they give up confidential information. This doesn't just happen over email. It includes "tailgating" (someone carrying a heavy box following an employee through a secure keycard door at your office) or a fake IT support technician calling your receptionist and asking to reset their password. 3. AI voice cloning and deepfakes (the new frontier). Criminals are now using artificial intelligence to scrape audio of your company's executives from public podcasts, webinars, or social media. They then use AI voice-cloning (deepfakes) to call an employee and urgently demand a vendor payment or password reset. To the employee, it sounds exactly like the boss. Why your current defenses aren't enough. You might be wondering: "If we use expensive spam filters, antivirus software, and robust cloud security, why do we need to train our end-users?" Because criminals have adapted. They know it's incredibly difficult to break through enterprise-grade cybersecurity tools. So, they bypass the software entirely and target the human layer. If an employee willingly hands over their Microsoft 365 credentials on a fake login page, the spam filter doesn't matter. The hacker just walks right in, fully authenticated. This is why having a proactive IT partner matters. At ThrottleNet, ThrottleNet, Inc. has seen that a multi-layered defense is required. Yes, you need 24/7 network monitoring, DNS web filtering, and next-generation endpoint security. But you also need a workforce that knows how to spot the threats that inevitably slip through the cracks. The 2026 blueprint: building a training Program that actually works. If dry videos don't work, how do you actually protect your business? You need a localized, behavior-changing curriculum. Here is how leading businesses are transforming their teams. 1. Establish a baseline with simulated testing. You can't fix what you haven't measured. Before implementing any training, organizations should run a baseline phishing simulation. This involves sending a safe, fake phishing email to your entire staff to see how many people click the link or enter their credentials. The results are often a wake-up call for leadership. 2. Train for behavior using interactive platforms. Instead of one massive training session a year, the most secure companies use continuous, bite-sized behavioral conditioning. Platforms like KnowBe4 allow you to send brief, interactive modules monthly. More importantly, they allow you to continuously run localized phishing simulations. If an employee clicks a fake malicious link, they are instantly given a 3-minute micro-training on exactly what red flags they missed. 3. Implement strong HR security onboarding. Cybersecurity training shouldn't be an afterthought; it should begin on day one. A strong HR security onboarding checklist should include: * Reviewing the company's acceptable use policy. * Training on how to use a password manager. * Setting up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all accounts. * Teaching "home security awareness tips" for remote workers (like securing their home Wi-Fi and never sharing work devices with family members). 4. Foster a "no-blame" Reporting culture. If an employee clicks a bad link and realizes their mistake, what do they do? If your company culture punishes mistakes, they will likely stay quiet out of fear of getting fired, giving the hacker hours or days to roam your network. You must cultivate a "no-blame" culture. Employees need to know that if they make a mistake, their first call should be to IT support immediately. (This is where having a managed service provider with a rapid response time is critical. ThrottleNet's multi-tiered help desk averages a 90-second response time, allowing its engineers to quarantine a compromised machine before the threat spreads). Frequently asked questions (FAQ). What exactly is employee cybersecurity training? Employee cybersecurity training is an ongoing educational process that teaches your staff how to recognize and respond to digital and physical security threats. Modern training moves beyond policy memorization and uses simulated attacks to build real-world reflexes against hackers. What is the difference between phishing and social engineering? Social engineering is the overarching psychological manipulation used by hackers to trick people into breaking normal security procedures. Phishing is just one specific type of social engineering - specifically, using fraudulent emails to steal data or money. Are ThrottleNet, Inc. too small to be targeted by hackers? Absolutely not. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are actually the preferred targets for many cybercriminals because SMBs typically have smaller IT budgets and less rigorous security training than large corporations. A hacker views an unprepared St. Louis business as low-hanging fruit. How do I secure my remote workers' home networks? Remote work blurs the lines between corporate and personal security. You should provide home security awareness tips, mandate the use of company-approved VPNs, enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and ensure that personal devices are never used for accessing sensitive corporate data. Your next steps: building the human firewall. Your employees are the lifeblood of your business. With the right education, they don't have to be your biggest security risk - they can be your most effective alarm system. Protecting a business today requires strategic alignment between your people, your processes, and your technology. It requires a dedicated IT strategy that looks ahead, which is why having access to a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) can be a game-changer for long-term technology roadmaps and compliance planning. When you combine a highly trained staff with an IT support partner that boasts a 93% same-day resolution rate, continuous 24/7 monitoring, and an exclusive $500,000 Cybersecurity Protection Program, you stop worrying about technology and start focusing on growth. Ready to see where your team stands? The best place to start is by testing your current defenses. Consider running a localized phishing simulation to get a baseline vulnerability score for your staff. It's the first step toward turning cybersecurity frustration into lasting peace of mind. 16 ways to protect your St. Louis business from cyberattacks.

Ryder and BJC HealthCare earn NextGen Partnership in Execution Award. The healthcare and logistics partners will share how automation, visibility and a patient-centered supply chain strategy delivered dramatic improvements in service, efficiency and operational resilience. SCMR Staff · August 6, 2026 · Executive takeaways. * Ryder System and BJC HealthCare earned the 2026 NextGen Partnership in Execution Award for demonstrating how a strategic healthcare logistics partnership improved supply chain visibility, automation, inventory management and patient care. * The organizations transformed healthcare supply chain operations by consolidating supplier channels into a centralized, technology-enabled logistics network that increased order fulfillment, reduced costs and strengthened operational resilience. * Patient outcomes - not automation alone - drove the transformation. Advanced warehouse management, end-to-end supply chain visibility and sequenced deliveries helped ensure clinicians had the right medical supplies when and where they were needed. * Attendees at the NextGen Supply Chain Conference will hear directly from Ryder and BJC HealthCare leaders as they share lessons learned, measurable results and best practices for building resilient healthcare supply chains through strategic collaboration. Technology alone rarely transforms a supply chain. Transformation happens when organizations align around a common objective, combine complementary expertise and execute with discipline. That philosophy is embodied by Ryder System, Inc. and BJC HealthCare, recipients of the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference Partnership in Execution Award for redefining how healthcare supply chains can operate when logistics excellence is aligned with patient outcomes. Presented during Thursday morning's general session, the award recognizes partnerships that deliver measurable business value by combining operational innovation, technology and execution. Rather than recognizing either organization individually, the award celebrates how collaboration between partners can achieve results neither could accomplish alone. For Ryder and BJC HealthCare, that collaboration fundamentally changed how medical supplies move through one of the nation's leading healthcare systems. Thys Visser, Vice President of Operations, Healthcare & High Tech for Ryder, and Jason Luby, Vice President, Value Chain Management & Sourcing Operations, for BJC HealthCare, will sit down for a fireside chat on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, to discuss their partnership. All of the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference awards, which include the End User, Solution Provider, Startup, Partnership in Execution, and Visionary, are sponsored by Zion Solutions Group. A new model for healthcare logistics. Like many healthcare organizations, BJC HealthCare historically managed a fragmented supply chain characterized by multiple supplier channels, inconsistent delivery performance and unnecessary manual work performed by clinical staff. Rather than accepting those limitations, BJC partnered with Ryder to rethink the operating model from the ground up. To view the latest agenda, click here Organizations interested in sponsoring the conference, click here Drawing on logistics best practices developed across industries, including automotive and advanced manufacturing, Ryder worked with BJC to design and launch a highly automated 416,000-square-foot Consolidated Services Center (CSC) that now serves as the centralized logistics hub supporting the health system's eastern region. The facility supports 14 hospitals, more than 3,300 licensed beds and approximately 4,600 physicians, consolidating supplier channels into a single scalable operation that improves inventory management, delivery performance and operational consistency across the enterprise. Putting patients at the center of the supply chain. While the project introduced sophisticated automation and advanced logistics technologies, its primary objective was never simply operational efficiency. It was ensuring caregivers always have the supplies they need to care for patients. Ryder engineered highly sequenced deliveries that prioritize the most critical products for immediate availability at hospital loading docks, helping clinicians spend less time searching for supplies and more time caring for patients. Supporting that strategy is an integrated warehouse management system connected with RyderShare, Ryder's proprietary visibility platform, providing end-to-end inventory visibility, demand planning and collaborative issue resolution across the supply chain, even during natural disasters, product shortages and other disruptions. Perhaps most importantly, the partnership transformed BJC's role within its own supply chain. Rather than reacting to shortages and supplier constraints, the health system now has direct sourcing capabilities, complete inventory visibility and real-time cost transparency that enable more proactive decision-making and stronger operational resilience. Results that extend beyond the warehouse. The operational improvements have been substantial. Hospital order fulfillment increased from 90% to more than 99%, while on-time, in-full delivery performance nearly tripled - from 27% to 75%. Order processing costs fell by 80%, inventory-on-hand declined by 25 days, and nursing unit service levels climbed above 98.5%, ensuring clinicians consistently have the supplies needed at the bedside. The operation also achieved 100% inventory control with real-time, end-to-end visibility, giving supply chain leaders unprecedented insight into inventory, demand and system-wide performance.

Aurenar closes oversubscribed $5.7M seed round led by the Go Red for Women Venture Fund(TM) and Solas BioVentures. Jul 28, 2026, 09:00 ET Funding accelerates advancement of first-in-class non-invasive neuromodulation platform to transform the arc of stroke care in ICUs ST. LOUIS, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Aurenar, developer of a non-invasive, single-use neuromodulation platform to reduce life-threatening complications in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $5.7 million seed financing round, co-led by the Go Red for Women Venture Fund(TM), part of American Heart Association Ventures(TM)- the American Heart Association's venture capital arm - and Solas BioVentures, with additional participation from BJC Health and Kaleida Capital. Proceeds from the investment round will fund continued advancement toward pivotal trials, including final device development, verification and validation (V&V) testing, and regulatory submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aurenar's V-Link(TM) platform, which recently received breakthrough device designation from the FDA, delivers transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to modulate the body's inflammatory response to such conditions as subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). SAH alone accounts for roughly 7% of all strokes worldwide, leaving approximately 40% of survivors with permanent disability. Initially developed to respond to stroke and broader neurocritical-care challenges, V-Link has the potential to expand into additional high-impact indications in critically ill patients. Inflammation is a central driver of the secondary injury that worsens outcomes in stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and other critical illnesses. Modulating this cascade non-invasively in the ICU addresses a significant unmet need - and a meaningful opportunity to change recovery trajectories for many patients experiencing the most acute, high-risk conditions that also increase hospital costs. The company was founded based on research from Dr. Eric Leuthardt, Dr. Anna Huguenard, and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The randomized SAH trial they conducted demonstrated that taVNS reduced moderate-to-severe vasospasm by more than 40%, lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improved functional outcomes. A companion analysis also showed a 20% drop in 30-day modifiable hospitalization costs directly linked to the method. A separate large-vessel occlusion (LVO) ischemic stroke trial showed consistent anti-inflammatory effects and a clean safety profile. V-Link's simple, wireless design makes it easier for neuro-intensive care physicians and ICU nursing staff to use the device without extensive training and supports faster onboarding and clinical adoption. "We are excited to support Aurenar because stroke is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability in women, who face a disproportionately higher prevalence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Their V-Link product promises to offer a pathway to improve recovery for all patients and especially for women who often experience higher rates of post-stroke complications," said Tracy Warren, Sr. Managing Director, Go Red for Women Venture Fund, part of the American Heart Association Ventures family of funds. "The potential for use with other conditions that trigger the body's inflammatory response, which also disproportionately affect women, makes V-Link the kind of scalable innovation our fund was created to accelerate." "This seed close marks a pivotal moment for Aurenar," said Dr. Leuthardt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurenar and a professor of neurosurgery at WashU Medicine. "With the support of the Go Red for Women Venture Fund, Solas BioVentures, and our broader investor group, we are positioned to advance from early-stage neurotechnology to a pivotal-trial-ready company. Every dollar of this round is committed to milestones that help us improve outcomes for patients in the most critical moments of their care." "At WashU, we are reinforcing pathways that convert bold scientific ideas into real-world solutions," said Doug Frantz, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Commercialization, Washington University. "This neuromodulation platform is yet another example of the strength of WashU's innovation ecosystem, and Dr. Leuthardt's progress with Aurenar is bringing us closer to delivering meaningful advances to some of our most critically ill patients." About Aurenar Aurenar is a company developing a non-invasive, single-use neuromodulation platform to reduce life-threatening complications in ICU patients. The company's transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) device targets the body's inflammatory response to improve outcomes, lower total cost of care, and transform critical care management. Beginning with the impacts of stroke, Aurenar's platform is positioned to expand to address multiple high-acuity indications. Aurenar is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Learn more at www.aurenar.com. About Go Red Fund and American Heart Association Ventures The Go Red for Women Venture Fund(TM) invests in market-driven solutions across a spectrum of heart health, brain health and related conditions to improve health for women. The Fund invests in early-stage companies whose products and services improve access, diagnosis and treatment for women. Through focused investment that translates science into action, the Go Red Fund is sparking real-world change and making a measurable difference in women's lives. The Go Red Venture Fund is part of American Heart Association Ventures, the venture capital platform of the American Heart Association. About Solas BioVentures Solas BioVentures is a venture capital firm investing in early- and development-stage biopharmaceutical, medical device, and digital health companies. Founded by physicians, scientists, and operators, the firm pairs deep clinical expertise and a patient-centric approach to funding technologies advancing the standard of care. Solas is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a presence in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Learn more at www.solasbio.com. SOURCE Aurenar