Critical challenges facing state and local governments
While the federal government works on big-picture solutions, state and local government agencies are under tremendous pressure to secure critical data, infrastructure and services. In fact, cybersecurity is the No. 1 strategic IT priority in 2020 for state and local agencies, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.
Unique pressures to deal with
The massive amount of valuable data housed by state and local agencies is an attractive target for cyber-criminals seeking financial gain. Hackers steal, then sell or leverage, sensitive data including Social Security and driver’s license numbers, credit card information, and health-care records, among other things. This creates havoc for compromised citizens. Likewise, intellectual property, trade secrets and contract negotiations are lucrative targets, and a successful breach at this level could bring an enterprise, industry or public agency to its knees. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision an array of devastating scenarios.
- Cyber threats are increasing in complexity and intensity
- Funding for cyber security initiatives is insufficient
Innovation is certainly a cultural challenge.
- Need to comply with growing array of regulations
The focus needs to change
Unable to compete with enterprise IT salaries, agencies are universally short on expertise. IT staff needs a solution that is simple to set up, run and monitor, with a simple view across the agency’s network. Enhancing the simplicity of solutions leaves more time to address the complexity of threats. Instead of spending time with software and hardware, cybersecurity defenders must be free to focus on managing risk and response.
