Report: City and county administrators are prioritizing their cyber defenses

Given the high-profile digital attacks against government organizations that have captured public attention in recent years, it’s no surprise that bolstering cyber defenses is a high priority for local internet technology managers. In a recent survey of city and county administrators by the CompTIA Public Technology Institute, a research firm, respondents overwhelmingly cited cybersecurity as their top priority over the next few years—continuing a trend that’s ramped up in momentum over the recent decade as criminals launch increasingly complex digital salvos.

“Last year ‘Cybersecurity/data loss prevention’ was a top priority for 88 percent of respondents. For 2022 this concern continued to hold the top spot with nearly unanimous (97 percent) support,” reads the report, the “State of City and County IT National Survey.” Analysts cite Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and last year’s Colonial Pipeline cyberattack as two major impetuses that’ve shifted focus onto the need for stronger cybersecurity within the public sector.

As an example of this evolution, the report notes that New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced earlier this year the creation of a Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC). The center was designed “to coordinate state efforts to anticipate potential cybersecurity threats and respond to security incidents,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. The New York initiative builds on funding distributed to local governments through the American Rescue Plan Act.

It’s not just an increase in cyberattacks and the need for stronger cyber defenses that’s driving priorities. Substantial changes in society brought about by the pandemic over the last few years—like the sudden influx in those working from home—have shifted administrators’ priorities.

In the technology institute’s survey, behind cybersecurity, “‘Modernizing outdated IT systems’ leaped to number two as COVID business disruptions likely exposed the brittle platforms that inhibited remote flexibility. It also comes as no surprise that IT leaders would have a lot of pent-up desire to revisit ‘innovation’ after two years of being in reactive mode,” the report says.

A little more than 60 percent of respondents said modernization and innovation were a high priority in the years ahead. Other priorities noted include launching digital services; addressing the integration of disparate systems; addressing data silos; and streamlining procurement processes.

It’s not just technical aspects of public sector IT that’s evolving. From the human resources side, public sector administrators are facing a hiring crisis.

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