Stronger Together: NGA, NASCIO Release Guidance for State and Local Cyber Collaboration

LEXINGTON, Ky., Wednesday, January 15—The National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released Stronger Together: State and Local Cybersecurity Collaboration. With a dramatic uptick in ransomware attacks across the country, governors, state chief information officers (CIOs) and state government executives are designing and implementing programs to strengthen local partnerships in cybersecurity. The publication outlines promising programs that states have initiated to enhance collaboration with their local government counterparts for cyber resilience. It also provides high-level recommendations for state officials looking to strengthen partnerships with local government officials on cybersecurity.

“Governors and states are at the forefront of cybersecurity, which is a collective responsibility and one of their most important priorities when it comes to protecting people and systems,” said Jeff McLeod, director of NGA’s Homeland Security & Public Safety team. “We know that effective strategies to prevent and recover from cyberattacks involve all levels of government, including local partners, as well as partners in the private sector.”

“More and more states are adopting a whole-of-state approach,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO Executive Director.  “State CIOs know that cybersecurity is a team sport and local governments are important to everyone’s shared success.”

The publication can be found on NGA’s website, www.NGA.org, and NASCIO’s website, www.NASCIO.org.