October 8, 2019 — Are you secure online? On the latest episode of “Prep Talk,” guests from New York City Emergency Management and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. The episode is in recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held every October. This year’s theme — Own It, Secure It, Protect It — focuses on key areas including citizen privacy, consumer devices, and e-commerce security. The guests provide tips and resources to help individuals become safer online. 

“Passwords are as important as locking your front door. You wouldn’t secure your front door with a screen door that someone could just easily kick open,” said Eric Smalls, assistant commissioner of technology at NYC Emergency Management. “You want to have a real door with a real lock. Creating a complex password is securing your perimeter; you’re securing your private information.”

Assistant Commissioner Smalls was joined by Toney Lewis, security engineer at NYC Emergency Management, and Lois Last, senior director of the NYC Gov Lab & Studio at DoITT. In addition to creating strong passwords, the guests outlined additional safeguards to protect against cyber threats. You can listen to the latest episode on SoundCloud, iTunes and Spreaker.

Profile: 

A native New Yorker, Eric Smalls has worked at NYC Emergency Management for the past 17 years. In his role, he has served as the agency’s technical liaison for citywide projects. Smalls was part of the IT steering committee that designed the IT infrastructure of the data center, Emergency Operations Center, Watch Command, the Situation Room, and conference rooms.  

In 2015, Smalls was promoted to his current role as assistant commissioner of Technology. Smalls is responsible for managing the IT budget, administration and project management, design and management of systems integration, management of network/telecommunications, management of security and business continuity, and overseeing help desk support services. 

Toney Lewis is the security engineer at NYC Emergency Management. Lewis is responsible for providing guidance and technical direction to the agency’s management information systems (MIS) unit to ensure security policies and procedures are effectively applied. Lewis brings over 15 years of information systems engineering experience across various industry verticals including transportation, public companies, education and military. Lewis has been instrumental in designing the agency’s security-related and productivity systems as well as MIS’ disaster response and recovery systems.

Lois Last is the user experience (UX) senior director of the NYC Gov Lab & Studio at NYC DoITT, where she oversees the visual and interactive design strategy. Last leads the team charged with delivering customer-centric, scalable and modular UX solutions and display code frameworks for citywide programs and initiatives. Prior to joining City government, Last held a variety of leadership positions in the financial, advertising and media industries, including vice president at XE Capital Management, art director at Time Inc. Interactive, and senior designer at the Walt Disney Company. Last received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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