TAC's County Information Resources Agency (TAC CIRA) wrapped up its first-ever regional technology workshop series, County Technology Workshop: Evolving to Adapt & Secure, in May. Participants at the in-person events learned cybersecurity strategies from industry experts and heard more about TAC CIRA’s planned transition to Microsoft Office 365 email services — a move that will increase security for counties.
Participants left the workshop with a toolkit to help them plan for their county’s email migration. A digital toolkit is available at www.county.org/email-migration. Counties should communicate their plans to TAC CIRA no later than Aug. 31.
National Association of Counties Chief Information Officer Rita Reynolds and TAC Risk Management Services (TAC RMS) staff discussed additional cybersecurity trends and resources.
Reynolds urged attendees to pay particular attention to their cyber defenses, given the number of cyberattacks already this year. “My focus would be on ensuring that several basics are in place,” Reynolds said, “including multifactor authentication, user education and sound patching best practices.”
She said someone in each county should join the multistate information sharing and analysis center (www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac/).
TAC RMS highlighted some of the tools available within the NetDiligence portal. TAC Risk Management Pool members can access this rich database of resources, which includes white papers, model policies, risk assessments and more. Contact your TAC Risk Management Consultant to obtain login credentials.
Staying abreast of cybersecurity trends and taking practical steps can help counties avoid a breach.