When Hospice of Laramie’s new executive director, Sarah Kirkland, stepped into her role, she wanted to do more than learn the ropes; she wanted to make sure the organization she now led was as safe and resilient as the care it provides to others.

Made Safe in Wyoming: Training for Digital Resilience

Joining CyberWyoming’s Made Safe cyber training program allowed Kirkland to investigate and evaluate the organization’s digital landscape, prepare and plan for the required Windows 11 upgrade, and review internal processes and procedures. The Made Safe in WyomingTM program provides on-the-job, risk and cybersecurity management training empowering small businesses and nonprofits to strengthen their cybersecurity culture and defenses. It has gained national and international recognition as the only program of its kind designed specifically for small organizations.

“CyberWyoming and the program helped Hospice of Laramie fine tune our cybersecurity policies and incident response plans to better protect our patients, employees, organization, and community. 5/5 Experience,” said Sarah Kirkland.

Hospice of Laramie, Laramie’s only nonprofit hospice provider with an available inpatient facility, participated in the program as part of its commitment to protecting sensitive patient, family, employee, vendor, and donor information. With a strong foundation of cybersecurity practices and an improvement mindset, Kirkland led the organization to further strengthen its digital security.

Kirkland undertook a comprehensive review of technology, policies, and procedures, ensuring that the trust and confidentiality of all stakeholders remain protected. This proactive approach demonstrates the organization’s ongoing dedication to safeguarding sensitive information of patients, families, employees, donors, and vendors.

Putting Preparedness to the Test During a Real Emergency

Just weeks after Hospice of Laramie completed its Incident Response Playbook, a grass fire knocked out power to the facility, putting their newly updated preparedness plan to the test.

“One of the staff approached me and let me know there was a grass fire visible from the parking lot and as we were walking toward the front and talking, the power kicked off, and the generator kicked on. As we worked to gather information about the fire, evacuation zones, and next steps, the staff was already getting ready if they needed to act,” said Kirkland. “They knew what to grab, where it was kept, and how to protect other assets in the facility in the event of an evacuation. The staff was calm, collected, and had the knowledge in the event that evacuations came our way. In the end, we were fortunate to not need to evacuate our building or patients, but the peace of mind we had from having a solid plan in place was unbeatable.”

For eight hours, Hospice of Laramie ran smoothly on generator power, maintaining care and communication without interruption.

“Sarah and her team, including Capitol Communications personnel, approached the program with professionalism, care, and a true commitment to protecting those they serve,” said Natalie Demple, CyberWyoming’s assigned Cybersecurity Business Counselor to Kirkland. “Hospice of Laramie’s leadership recognized that cybersecurity isn’t just about technology, it’s about safeguarding trust, compassion, and the relationships that define their mission.”

Cybersecurity Leadership and Community Commitment

Like many individuals, Kirkland chose not to use her training to compete in the Wyoming Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses. She commented that it was enough to know that Hospice of Laramie reduced their cyber risk score by 77.7%.

The 2025 Cyber Training Program and Cybersecurity Competition was made possible by Wyoming companies and companies serving Wyoming including: 307 Tech Pros, Capitol Communications, Casper College, Concordant, DigeTekS, EvnTec, Factory IT, First Education FCU, First Federal Bank & Trust, First National Bank of Gillette, Gannett Peak Technical Services, HUB International, ICC, IECA of Casper, Language I/O, the National Cybersecurity Society, PDS Manage, Secure the Village, Sightline Security, Sweetwater Technology Services, TEAM Networks, Manufacturing Works of Wyoming, Whitehat Rescue, Wyoming ISSA, Wyoming Realtors, and WyoSupport.

In 2026, the cyber training program and cybersecurity competition are open to micro businesses nationwide.

“Wyoming companies have a leg up on the out-of-state competition as they’ve had CyberWyoming staff to themselves for the past 8 years. It will be interesting to see if Wyoming companies are edged out of the 2026 competition or if they stake their claim as the first and best,” said Laura Baker, Executive Director of CyberWyoming.

Baker also noted that Wyoming has the largest number of trained Cybersecurity Business Counselors in the nation due to the Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Pilot Grant won by the Wyoming SBDC in 2023. Cybersecurity training for Wyoming companies can be sought from two sources.