Educating and Protecting the Community’s Security
SKB Cyber was founded in July 2023 by Stacy and Keith Brooks. Stacy has a background in education, while husband, Keith, specializes in IT. They launched their company with a contracting business model with two permanent contractors. Over the last year, they have expanded to nine loyal contractors. Keith and Stacy have strategically built their team to include a range of expertise with each member on board.
SKB Cyber offers a wide range of services, with the goal of beginning-to-end service lines for each client. They help businesses launch their cybersecurity journey and partner to meet their cyber needs throughout their journey. SKB Cyber also partners with existing IT teams within firms to assist on big projects or help bring in specialized skills outside the client's current team.
The team at SKB Cyber is dedicated to providing high-quality services and educating clients. “We want to empower our clients to proactively manage their cybersecurity,” Stacy shared. “We’re all about educating the client. We want to come in and teach you and your IT team how to do what we did for them. We don’t believe in leaving our clients in the dark as a means to secure their continued business. We want to educate them but leave the door open for them to come to us if they encounter a challenge they aren’t familiar with.”
Additionally, they believe in the power of community outreach and offer free educational opportunities to help raise cybersecurity awareness. They offer frequent public Lunch and Learns, allowing the public to ask questions and address concerns while raising awareness of security threats. SKB Cyber has partnered with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC), at Bradley University, to offer workshops focused on cybersecurity. They also speak at different organizations and help develop cybersecurity guides for senior citizens, who are often significant targets of security threats.
Stacy and Keith had dreamed for years of starting their own company. “We had a dream. We just didn’t know how to make it happen,” she shared. “The Illinois SBDC was an absolute game-changer for us.” SKB Cyber found the SBDC through their previous acquaintance with Eric Sampson, Director of SBDC, who was once their neighbor. Upon reconnecting with him to share their idea, Eric connected them with his colleague, Social Media Advisor, Theresa Bloom, now their mentor at the SBDC. They first met Theresa at her social media training events, and she quickly became an ally of Keith and Stacy’s mission. “Eric, Chris, Keli, Theresa, and the whole team at the SBDC have all become mentors and our dear friends, and we are extremely grateful for each of them,” Stacy said.
“She helped me to transfer my skills as an educator to building a business,” Stacy said. She goes on to share that Theresa has been 100% supportive and without her, their marketing would not have been as successful as it was at launch. Theresa has been instrumental in SKB Cyber's success as she helped brand the company and integrated the business into the entrepreneurial community by incorporating their scope of expertise into the workshops offered through the SBDC. Through the SBDC, Stacy and Keith were also connected to the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, (where their business is currently housed) and SCORE, which offers terrific resources and exposes them to female entrepreneurial support in the community, vital for a female-led company.
Stacy goes on to share that there is also a sense of sentimental value in the SBDC being affiliated with Bradley because she is a Bradley Alumna of the class of 2012. “It makes it more meaningful to me because I had such a wonderful experience as a non-traditional student pursuing my second degree. Being on the Bradley campus, located at the Peoria NEXT building, having all that support around us, and how the SBDC and Bradley collaborate on campus is amazing. It feels good to be part of that,” Stacy expressed.
Stacy shares that the team at SKB Cyber cannot express enough gratitude for all the people and organizations supporting their business. “SBDC, SCORE, Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, Doris Symonds, the Chamber of Commerce, friends at the Distillery Labs, National Association of Women Business Owners, Women in Leadership, and Founding Females, these are the organizations that have stood behind us and helped pave the way for us as we turn our dreams into reality. Peoria is doing a fantastic job at fostering a supportive entrepreneurial community. SBDC and Bradley University are part of that movement,” Stacy stated.
