Guest Blog by Annette Metraux at AT&T Public Sector.
Governments are creating and storing more information than ever before, including sensitive internal records as well as the personal data of their constituents. They’re charged with the security of an ever-shifting mix of desktop hardware and mobile devices; on-premises servers and cloud storage; and traditional software, apps and third-party platforms.
The network of the future requires highly secure solutions that protect you at every step from endpoints to servers to the cloud. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic redistributed millions of state and local employees to remote work and expanded agencies’ threat surface overnight.
All of this means cybercriminals have their sights set on state and local government, and these organizations are feeling the impact. Agencies everywhere are being bombarded by attempted hacks and other cyberthreats through ransomware and malware.
Safeguarding citizen information also extends to third-party apps and vendor technologies. States and cities rely on private industry for a growing number of services, such as toll road concessions. Those companies often maintain sensitive citizen data as well. And it’s not enough to consider only your own
jurisdiction’s network. In an increasingly connected world, forward-thinking security professionals know they must consider their peers and take other levels of government into account.
“You have to make sure the entire ecosystem is highly secure. If a small city or town goes down, so does the state,” says Kristin Judge, CEO and founder of the Cybercrime Support Network. She notes that Michigan, where she lives, has embraced a collaborative approach, including the state’s innovative CISO-as-a-service initiative, which offers cybersecurity assistance to smaller cities and counties throughout the state.
To help secure the network of the future requires a better understanding of cybersecurity threats and a new way of thinking about security solutions. This guide, “Securing the Network of the Future,” produced by AT&T in collaboration with Government Technology, shows agency leaders what steps they can take to help protect the network of tomorrow—today.
Download it now to:
- Learn what a more intelligent network looks like and the security benefits it delivers
- Understand the latest cyber threats and trends and the role of the network in each
- Obtain valuable cybersecurity best practices from public and private sector experts