The rate of ransomware and cyberattacks against American companies has surged more than 288 percent in the first half of 2021. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, joined Cheddar to discuss ongoing cybersecurity issues he addressed in his book, "Tools and Weapons: The Promise And the Peril of the Digital Age." He noted that as technology gets more advanced, it is imperative that businesses invest in adequate cybersecurity. The rising threat has highlighted the need to "share information with people in government, the need to foster information sharing across the economy, the need to actually skill a generation of people,” he said. “We have a real shortage in the cybersecurity workforce today. We all need to come together to address it.”