Online threats can come from all sources. That was the theme of the fourth annual NODAKON at Minot State University: cybersafety. The two-day event taught students and the public about online predators, financial threats, and risk management.

The first day of NODAKON kicked off with SRT Tech Day, where students from 15 area high schools took part in business- and technology-related competitions. SRT is a proud long-time sponsor.

Day two hosted a cybersecurity summit, where industry experts taught attendees about real-life examples of when cybersecurity tactics failed or succeeded. Jersey Kelly, Network Operations Engineer at SRT, spoke on a panel that discussed asset protection.

He and others on the panel (Jennifer Sackett, Connexus Energy; Jesse Clark, Tech Entrepreneur; Chris Geren, NDIT; Jacob Rued, First Western Bank & Trust) talked about the importance of identifying the full scope of each unique cybersecurity incident, the impact of technology changes, and continuous training for everyone within an institution. Insider threats don’t always come from bad actors. An employee could unknowingly open a link that would make a company susceptible to a phishing attack, which is just one example of an unintentional, insider threat.

A common theme among the panel was establishing a cybersafe culture, in which employees know it’s okay to question emails or links sent from coworkers or even the CEO, and understand a “think before you click” mindset. A cybersafe culture also includes physical security. “It plays a big role,” Jersey said. “We [SRT] have a lot of equipment that could be bad for any bad actor to get access to.”

Cybersecurity is something every Internet user should keep top of mind. SRT holds monthly training for all employees and encourages continuous education like the opportunities provided by NODAKON at Minot State.

It’s a meaningful tradition that brings dozens of employees together to give a potentially life-saving gift.

Fay Alexander, GIS Specialist, who has been organizing SRT blood drives for more than five years, said donating blood has always been important to her. “Blood is so important for a lot of reasons,” she said. “As the coordinator, I see what blood type people have and I get lists that say what kind of blood they need, and so many people need all kinds – from an accident or really for any reason – they need blood.”

The impact of a blood donation especially hit home for her during the pandemic. “My husband got COVID in 2021 and the hospital called me and asked if they could give him a blood transfusion because the antibodies would save his life, and they did. The blood saved his life,” Fay said.

Three times a year, Fay reaches out to all SRT employees, asking for donors to schedule a time at one of the blood drives she organizes. Vitalant holds the blood drives at SRT headquarters, where employees are invited to donate at their convenience.

Vitalant and SRT are mutually grateful for their partnership. Vitalant’s willingness and ability to host the blood drive onsite at SRT makes donating easy and accessible to employees. Senior Recruitment Manager at Vitalant, Teresa Johnson, said, “SRT is a very steadfast account that’s always very reliable, has great donors, and is very supportive of our mission. Employees get to take an hour out of their day to be amazing lifesavers.”

Randy Hysjulien, Right of Way Agent, is a long-time donor who volunteers at every SRT blood drive. “I feel it’s important to donate blood to help other individuals that may need this ‘gift of life’ to help someone recuperate from a serious health issue or even save a life,” he said. “It’s easy to do and very convenient when Vitalant comes to our office regularly for a blood drive.”

SRT holds blood drives in February, June, and October each year. October happens to mark Co-op Month, a time to highlight the principles cooperatives are built on. One of those principles is concern for the community. Allowing employees to donate blood is just one way SRT acts as a community steward. Our employees live and work in the communities we serve and SRT believes it’s up to people like us to lend a hand where we can.