To meet the goals of President Biden’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, look to the private sector

Last month, President Biden released a National Cybersecurity Strategy that recognizes the role state and local governments play in protecting critical infrastructure and the constituents that depend on these services. Together, state and local governments can meet the goals of this strategy through partnerships with the private sector that draw on the latest technologies and expertise available to the market.

This strategy could not have come at a better time. State and local governments are tasked with facilitating an array of important constituent services—from approving business licenses, to auditing health systems and distributing financial aid. At each juncture, sensitive constituent data must be protected from bad actors.

While state and local governments are less likely to be targeted with ransomware attacks than private companies, a recent report found that attacks are on the rise. The reality is, local government agencies are at considerable risk of cyberattacks like phishing efforts, malware and ransomware. These agencies are ripe targets for numerous reasons—they frequently lack sophisticated levels of protection beyond managed firewall services, and they deal in considerable amounts of valuable personal data. While threat levels rise, the vulnerability of local governments also rise in part because of the migration to the cloud as well as the shift to remote work as a result of the pandemic.

What’s more, many local governments do not have substantive in-house tech expertise, and finding security experts for hire is growing more difficult as the industry experiences a cybersecurity talent shortage. Increasingly complex networks and cloud operations render entry-level solutions like simple software, or even some outsourced tech support, insufficient to protect government networks. Compounding these challenges is cost, which is always a crucial factor as state agencies face reduced budgets year after year.

Fortunately for local governments, basic best practices are not costly. In fact, there are a few immediate steps local governments can take to fortify defenses, including ensuring all software is up to date, conducting regular security trainings for employees to enhance their awareness of risks, establishing a VPN (virtual private network) and requiring two-factor authentication and regular password changes.

For a more thorough cybersecurity solution, hiring a third-party service provider is a smart choice. Understanding the increasing risk to local governments, reputable managed security services providers (MSSPs) now offer solutions tailored specifically with the needs and budgets of these institutions in mind. An MSSP provides 24-hour-a-day support, seven days a week with a team of security professionals who are up to date on the latest threats and mitigations. They will ensure a network is optimized for security, monitor the network for potential issues and spring to action to address security threats or breaches to minimize harm.

The right MSSP, experienced in serving local governments and state agencies, has significant depth of talent and expertise and can also provide the affordable, flexible, scalable solutions these institutions need. Some providers even bundle back-up connectivity with ongoing security so that local governments will always have a strong connection to access cloud-based applications and preserve the ability to facilitate constituent services. As network requirements grow, an MSSP can advise and adapt a cybersecurity solution to fit evolving needs at any time. A partnership with an MSSP eliminates the pressure to hire internal cybersecurity talent and allows local governments to focus on delivering exceptional constituent services.

The threat of cyberattack is real for local governments and state agencies. With technologies and solutions drawing from the best of what the market has to offer, the private sector has a critical role to play in protecting local and state governments and meeting the challenge of President Biden’s National Cybersecurity Strategy.

James Clevenger has been in the telecommunications industry for more than 20 years, the past 15 of which he has supported both state and federal agencies and their missions. At Hughes, James leads government sales.