Iowa cybersecurity company sees need for regulation to protect privacy

NORTH LIBERTY - Two engineers from ProCircular, an 11-month-old North Liberty cybersecurity and privacy firm, spent the better part of a week at DEFCON, one of the oldest and largest hacker conventions.

A small portion of their trip was paid for by the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training program that lawmakers created to increase worker productivity and help in new job creation. Their boss, ProCircular owner and CEO Aaron Warner, would like the federal government to make similar resources available so firms like his can meet the needs of businesses, manufacturers, food distributors, health care providers and schools in the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity.

Iowa's program, administered by community colleges and financed with the sale of bonds repaid by the businesses, 'has been a huge benefit to us to train our employees,” Warner told U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack Tuesday.

Warner would like to see a federal program that mirrors the state program. He explained that technology is growing and changing so rapidly that companies need help meeting their training challenges.

Loebsack, an Iowa City Democrat who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a former member of the Armed Services Committee, said firms like ProCircular are important not only to the security of their clients, but to national security as well.

'They're all trying to anticipate what the heck will come next,” he said.

Loebsack was at ProCircular, 595 Ashley Court, Suite 5, as part of his effort to highlight Startup Day Across America by touring various emerging companies and visiting with entrepreneurs. Aug. 1 is recognized as Startup Day Across America to raise awareness and generate support for start-ups.

ProCircular already has grown to 13 employees - many graduates of Iowa universities - and is planning to move soon into larger accommodations in Coralville.

In addition to federal programs to help tech start-ups with training for employees - many who start at salaries higher than $50,000 - Warner told Loebsack it is important the Federal Communications Commission protect net neutrality.

While the Trump administration has made it a goal to cut regulation, Warner said there may be a need for some regulations as it relates to cybersecurity and privacy.

'Some industries don't move without regulation,” he explained, adding clients tell him that if the federal government doesn't require them to act on protecting their clients' information, they're not going not do it.

'The potential damage affects more than their bottom line. It affects their clients and customers,” Warner said.

There's a lot of opposition to regulation and concerns that it will increase costs, Loebsack said. It's hard for policymakers and lawmakers to stay ahead of technological changes.

'We tend to pass laws that solve the last problem,” he said.

Loebsack on Tuesday also had a roundtable discussion with start-ups and small businesses in the Quad Cities area and visited Meld and BluPrairie, two Coralville businesses sharing one location.

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com