Welcome to another edition of The Cannabis Reporter Pro-Series! This interview features Sunstate Technology Group’s Director of Operations, Stuart Hensley. For more than 15 years, Sunstate has delivered state-of-the-art IT support and network consulting to small, medium and enterprise-level businesses as well as municipal agencies like police and fire departments, emergency medical services and other government offices throughout the Southwest. Sunstate Technology Group also provides a range of technology solutions for the cannabis industry.

In recent years, information technology, or “IT,”  has become an essential component of corporate infrastructure, not just to streamline operations, facilitate communications, manage inventory or track sales, but to also safeguard critical data with iron-clad firewalls and other vital security protocols. Today, that role of information tech could not be more crucial – as evidenced by the upsurge of ransom-ware attacks, data theft and other high-profile cyber security crimes.

The cannabis industry is not impervious to cyber threats and, in fact, may be as or more vulnerable due to the high-volume cashflow at the retail level and the need to safeguard information flow due to regulatory requirements imposed on all aspects of the industry from seed to sale. Having the right technology company on board has never been more important.

For that reason, we were thrilled to speak with Sunstate Technology Group’s Director of Operations, Stuart Hensley, who outfitted at Arizona’s largest cultivation operation with a scalable IT and security network spanning multiple retail and grow locations throughout the state. As a City Council member at that time, he was also key in securing approval for the facility by helping fellow local lawmakers overcome skepticism about the emerging cannabis industry in their region.

With more than 25 years of experience in the field of information technology, Stuart Hensley has a wealth of knowledge about ways in which cannabis industry stakeholders can – and should – protect against and mitigate threats through advanced security and technology solutions. As a City Council member in Snowflake, Arizona in 2018, Stuart was instrumental in ushering approval of Copperstate Farms cannabis cultivation facility, which, at the time faced some public trepidation despite the dire need for jobs in a region. Fortuitously, Stuart was well-positioned to convince colleagues at the that the facility would be a safe bet for the community. In his role at Sunstate Technology Group, he took the lead in setting up Copperstate’s massive security system and IT network, which now spans numerous cultivation and retail facilities throughout the State of Arizona. The successful integration of scaleable network and security systems at Arizona’s largest cultivation operation has demonstrated ways in which Sunstate Technology Group’s systems benefit cannabis enterprises of all sizes.

If not for the generosity of our supporters, we wouldn’t be here! We’d first like to express gratitude for our radio sponsors, Sunstate Technologies and Cannasphere Biotech. We are grateful! Many thanks go to Erik Godal for our theme “Evergreen” and Dr. Bryan Doner for the Medical Marijuana Minute. We’d also like to shout out to XRQK Radio Network and Society Bytes Radio Network for broadcasting our show as well as  Compassionate Certification Centers and Cannabis Radio for helping us spread the word online. Image courtesy of Unsplash by Jefferson Santos. CC License.

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