Every October marks Cybersecurity Consciousness Month throughout the USA, an initiative launched in 2004 by the Division of Homeland Safety and the Nationwide Cybersecurity Alliance. This marketing campaign is essential in elevating consciousness about digital safety and equipping residents, companies and authorities entities with the sources to guard themselves from elevated cyber threats.
The Rising Variety of Cyber Threats
Based on Cybercrime Journal, cybercrime prices are at the moment $10.5 trillion yearly and state and native governments have turn out to be prime targets for cybercriminals. These entities handle huge quantities of personally identifiable info – social safety numbers, tax information, well being knowledge and monetary info – making them engaging targets for theft and extortion. Based on IBM, the typical value of an information breach in 2024 reached $4.88 million, however for presidency companies coping with residents’ belief, the precise value extends far past monetary losses.
The summer time of 2024 reminded us of how interconnected our programs are. When a software program replace failed, 8.5 million computer systems worldwide crashed, affecting authorities companies, healthcare programs and demanding infrastructure. Most revealing was discovering what number of organizations relied solely on one cybersecurity resolution, which contradicts the elemental ideas of cyber resilience.
Cybersecurity: Prevention to Resilience
Over the previous few many years, the cybersecurity trade has been working to forestall assaults whereas acknowledging that no system is secure from threats. The shift in pondering from prevention to resilience combines sturdy safety measures with complete knowledge safety and restoration methods. It contains cloud-based backup storage, off-site knowledge storage and detailed incident response plans. Organizations with excessive cyber resilience – these using a number of safety instruments, managed safety companies and redundant programs—recovered rapidly from the outage in the summertime of 2024. These with out such measures confronted prolonged disruptions and vital losses.
NASPO ValuePoint: Your Strategic Cybersecurity Accomplice
That is the place NASPO ValuePoint will be an indispensable associate in state and native authorities cybersecurity methods. Cooperative buying by means of NASPO ValuePoint presents greater than value financial savings – it supplies entry to complete, competitively solicited cybersecurity options that particular person companies may battle to acquire independently.
NASPO ValuePoint maintains a portfolio of cybersecurity-related contracts particularly designed to handle the advanced wants of presidency entities, corresponding to:
Cybersecurity & Data Safety Companies – This portfolio supplies entry to all the things from vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to safety operations heart companies and incident response capabilities.
Cloud Options – As governments more and more migrate essential programs to cloud environments, securing these platforms turns into paramount. This portfolio supplies entry to safe, scalable cloud companies with built-in safety features.
Software program VAR – Entry to important safety software program by means of value-added resellers, making certain governments can purchase the most recent safety instruments effectively.
Knowledge Communications Merchandise & Companies – Securing community infrastructure is key to any cybersecurity technique. This portfolio helps the spine of safe authorities communications.
IT Analysis & Advisory Companies – Professional steerage helps companies navigate advanced safety selections, conduct threat assessments and develop complete safety methods aligned with frameworks like NIST and CISA pointers.
Studying and Networking at NASPO/PPA Change 2026
The annual NASPO/PPA Change Convention, (March 9-12, 2026, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida) helps procurement professionals keep present by connecting them with trade leaders and friends for collaborative studying and networking.
Attendees can count on instructional classes masking the most recent tendencies, compliance necessities and procurement methods throughout numerous options. Whereas Change isn’t centered solely on cybersecurity, attendees can discover NASPO ValuePoint’s cybersecurity contracts and attend instructional classes on many different important present procurement subjects. The convention additionally supplies direct entry to suppliers, permitting companies to guage applied sciences, ask detailed questions and construct relationships with potential companions.
Equally priceless are the networking alternatives – connecting with friends going through related challenges, sharing classes realized and discovering revolutionary approaches to widespread issues.
The Change Convention exemplifies NASPO’s dedication to supporting your complete procurement lifecycle: not simply contracts, however the data, relationships and strategic pondering wanted to make knowledgeable selections that shield residents and demanding infrastructure.
A Name to Motion
Threats will proceed to evolve. Attackers will develop new techniques, exploit vulnerabilities and goal new programs. By embracing cyber resilience, leveraging NASPO ValuePoint’s contracts to assist construct resilient cybersecurity methods and taking part in occasions just like the Change Convention, state and native governments can construct the defenses crucial to guard the programs and companies residents rely on. The query will not be whether or not your group will face a cyber risk—it is whether or not you may be prepared when it comes.
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