Why States Need to Walk the Talk on Cybersecurity
With more and more information being housed on the Internet, hackers are becoming more active. States aren’t immune to breaches, either. From Montana to South Carolina, many states have experienced breaches that have compromised proprietary information for millions of residents, including social security numbers, birth certificates, and tax information.
In late 2014, many states professed that improving their security systems was a top priority. In a recent survey conducted by the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) and Deloitte, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) admitted that their systems were natural targets for hackers because these systems are rich in information about many residents.
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What’s holding them back? The fact of the matter is CIOs face many challenges, including the following:
Lack of commitment from executives prevents CIOs from moving forward. Like any major initiative, CIOs must get approval from top-ranking government officials. Without their commitment, many initiatives remain dead in the water.
States aren’t able to recruit top talent. Like states, private companies are subject to security breaches. With a need to protect their customer’s information, private companies recruit top talent by paying them more than states are offering. As a result, security analysts can make hefty salaries in the private sector, making it difficult for states to recruit qualified professionals.
CIOs lack funds to improve cybersecurity. Year after year, budgets become tighter. Taxpayers and state officials want to make sure they are using funds appropriately. As a result, very few dollars are allocated to improving cybersecurity.
There is established best practices for states. Without top talent, many states aren’t able to design a plan to effectively prevent, detect, and ward off cyberattacks. There are no best practices for states, making it even more costly for states to improve