COLUMBIA, S.C. –The South Carolina Department of Insurance Director, Ray Farmer, received the General Lester D. Eisner Award for Cybersecurity Excellence today at the third annual Cybersecurity Summit.
The event held in Greenville was hosted by Cyber SC and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Tom Scott of Cyber SC and General Eisner presented Director Farmer with the award for his outstanding accomplishment of championing a data security bill that became law. In 2018, South Carolina became the first in the nation to enact a law that requires insurance companies to have fortified protections in place to keep consumer and company data secure. Since then, many other states have followed suit.
“In recent years, there have been several major data breaches involving large insurers that have exposed and compromised the sensitive personal information of millions of insurance policy holders,” said Director Farmer. “I felt it was imperative for consumers in our state to have some degree of certainty that their information is being kept as safe as possible.”
Director Farmer adds that he is grateful for the kind recognition today and hopes awareness around the need for cybersecurity within the insurance field will continue to take root in more states and countries.
For more information on the data security law in South Carolina, please visit our website at doi.sc.gov.