The 2023 Local Government Cybersecurity National Survey found that more than 60 percent of IT officials at state and local organizations believe their budgets are inadequate to support their cyber programs. And only about half of their employees continually participate in cybersecurity training throughout the year, revealing a lack of engagement in IT security programs across their organizations—including from elected officials.
Among these concerns, IT officials stated that an increase in sophisticated threats and lack of cybersecurity staffing are the top barriers their organizations face when addressing cybersecurity challenges. Despite perpetual constraints in cyber resources for state and local governments, organizations can proactively address these barriers. By prioritizing strategic investments and maximizing existing resources, they can enhance their cyber defenses against threats and maximize their return on investment (ROI) in cyber.
Cultural shift: Assume breach mindset
While state and local governments are not mandated to meet a Zero Trust deadline, as required for federal government agencies, there are still proactive steps that they can take to improve cyber defenses and put themselves in a better position to defend against potential cyber threats.
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