The key to successfully warding off or recovering from a ­cybersecurity incident is to be prepared. Yet many state and local agencies do not have an effective cybersecurity incident response plan in place. Agencies can build an IR plan in manageable steps, following four key sections: organization, protection, detection and recovery.

State and local agencies face an array of sophisticated cybersecurity threats, including from nation-state actors, but a strong incident response plan creates resilience. CDW provides a wealth of resources to help agencies plan, instrument their networks and respond to cybersecurity incidents.

As smart cities deploy more Internet of Things devices, they face increasing security risks. Operational technology interfacing with IT can increase risks, and malicious actors can take over IoT devices in botnet attacks. An increased dependence on IoT comes with increased technology risk.