Arizona’s whole-of-state cybersecurity program gives local governments free access to cloud-based cybersecurity tools—an approach that extends security and helps build a problem-solving community.
Local governments and school districts trying to defend themselves against cyberattacks have long struggled with staff shortages and tight budgets. Now, state IT offices are stepping up to help.
In Arizona, the statewide information security and privacy office known as Cyber Command offers cloud-based security services to state and local agencies free of charge—an approach known as whole-of-state cybersecurity that is gaining traction nationwide.
“We’re buying en masse cybersecurity tools for all of our agencies and then providing them back at no cost to them, which is sort of a novel concept,” said Ryan Murray, deputy director of Arizona’s Cyber Command and interim chief information security officer.
Route Fifty
By Stephanie Kanowitz
SEP 5, 2023