Keeping Cybersecurity in Focus

While still alarming, it’s no longer a surprise to learn about cybersecurity breaches. The news is often full of these stories.

The overall cost of cybercrime is staggering, projected to reach $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion globally by the end of 2025, according to Cyber Defense Magazine.

The foodservice and wholesale distribution industries have been directly impacted, much like any other industry out there.

An IFDA report on cybersecurity outlined foodservice distributors’ lessons learned from navigating cybersecurity attacks and offered disaster recovery guidance and steps to protect organizations against threats.

In the report, foodservice distribution leaders relayed what they wish they had known before being hit by a crisis. One said his company has a strong IT department, but he learned it also needed outside contacts and expertise to deal with a serious attack. Another, at a different distribution company, said his organization learned about the need for robust, multi-layered backups and the importance of surveillance.

The foodservice distribution industry can get more insights at the 2025 IFDA Solutions Conference. An especially relevant education session is called 5 Cybersecurity Priorities for Your 2026 Business Roadmap. The speaker will be Scott Stevens, Chief Information Security Officer, Integrity Technology Solutions.

This session will identify the five priorities and explain why each is important. These range from security risk assessments to administrative policies. One of the five — artificial intelligence — is a key topic on multiple levels. A recent article from Morgan Stanley points out that cybercriminals are using AI to carry out a variety of sophisticated attacks, while cybersecurity organizations also increasingly rely on AI to help flag suspicious data and detect or thwart attacks.