I wonder how many dealers reading this today start their day similar to me?

Obviously I'm just a journo who isn't doing a proper job like our readers are, but I suspect many might still start their working day by powering up a computer and checking emails. And when I say checking emails, the first task for me is to delete out all the absolute rubbish that's come in overnight. Clearly I've got anti-virals and filters everywhere, but still I'm inundated with heaps of emails that are at best nonsense, at worst malicious.

Amongst other things, I get told my password needs updating; that my inbox is full; my subscription is due for renewal; I've won something or I have an incredibly important parcel waiting for me. It's so boring every single day, wading though the lies!

All get binned obviously, but I'll admit on occasion one is written slightly more convincingly or looks a bit less amateurish - and it gives me pause for thought. Which is worrying.

I'm no expert, but I think phishing emails such as these are only just one of the many ways that cyber-criminals will attempt to target individuals and companies. It can feel pretty terrifying if one thinks about it too much (as I'm inclined to do obviously!). I get nervous when my steam-powered laptop gets glitchy and I have to restart the thing, scared that it may never come back to life again. But the thought of a genuine hack by a knowledgeable, cunning criminal - well, it makes my blood run cold. And I'm not a business with inventory, finance, staff and customer data on my system.

Everybody reading this today will know the importance of cyber security. It's a fact of modern personal and business life. However I'm sure with the risks and responsibilities inherent in being in charge of such valuable digital information, some help and advice from experts towards keeping that as safe as possible would not go amiss.

That is exactly what the organisers of November's Service Dealer Conference have announced today as the first of the popular breakout seminar sessions. Representatives of the Warwickshire Police Cyber Crime department, along with the Regional Cyber Crime Unit, will be leading a workshop that promises to give our dealer delegates some insight into how cyber criminals attempt to gain sensitive information from your business.

This feels like a session that everyone could benefit from. From what we hear on the news, it sounds like cyber crime is constantly evolving. So however much we feel we are protected and up-to-date, there will be more we can always learn from those at forefront of the fight against the bandits.

There may be a misconception that it's the Apples, Amazons and Microsofts of this world that are the cyber criminals' principal targets. But doing a bit of reading around the subject it sounds like smaller businesses are often seen as low-hanging fruit for the baddies, due to fewer resources allocated to security measures. From what I can gather, a successful attack could result in severe financial losses, operational disruption, and long-term reputational damage - all of which could make survival for an independent dealer much tougher than it already is.

With this session on cyber crime at the Conference being one of the smaller grouped, workshop sessions, it allows for plenty of interaction between dealer delegates and the guys running the breakout. If you have questions or concerns you'd like addressed it's easy to be heard and gain the insight you were looking for.

So do make sure not to miss this session in November - it could prove to be incredibly valuable.