CitySmart by VC3
This curated content is from VC3's blog and shares non-technical, municipal-relevant insights about critical technology issues, focusing on how technology reduces costs, helps better serve citizens, and lessens cybersecurity risks. VC3 is solely responsible for the article’s content.
Displaying Items 46-60 (of 80)
If your city hasn’t yet experienced a major data breach, it may just be a matter of time. In fact, it's already happened to a city in Georgia. Learning from this incident, your city can implement some best practices that will lessen the risk of exposing your citizens’ personal information to hackers or unauthorized individuals.
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CitySmart by VC3
December 20, 2017
Michael Chihlas, Network Infrastructure Consultant
Free software. It sounds like a great bargain. However, a recent incident shows the dangers of freeware. Back in September, CCleaner (a common free software) experienced a major security flaw. When CCleaner pushed out a software update for its customers, the software update contained malicious code that could be used by hackers to control a person’s computer.
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Information technology sometimes seems like it’s just about computers, software, networks, bits, and bytes. Best practices, policies, people, and other non-technical aspects of IT are often forgotten and too commonly unconsidered, which creates great risk for cities. Consider IT like a tripod—and stand firmly upon these three legs to address any real risks you may be overlooking.
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CitySmart by VC3
October 30, 2017
Ryan Warrick, Network Infrastructure Consultant
Today, all of government—including local government—is a target for hackers. The risks and dangers from failing to proactively manage technology patches and updates are simply too great to ignore.
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If there is one overarching lesson from Equifax, it’s that cybersecurity is just becoming too big to ignore. For many years, cities and other organizations have pled technology ignorance, lack of budget, or that they had no need for proactive technology support. Those times are over.
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CitySmart by VC3
August 31, 2017
Mark Holbrook, Technical Account Manager, Sophicity
Compliance. One of those necessary operational activities that you know is working when nothing bad happens. When compliance doesn’t work, you open the door to significant risk. We’ve talked a lot in the past about the legal consequences of poor technology infrastructure and support. In this post, we want to highlight how specific areas of compliance can be impacted by your technology.
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Barraged with cybersecurity news every day, it’s difficult to sift the real danger from the noise. Cybersecurity headlines tend toward the dramatic—even if the concerns are real.
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In the news, we’ve seen plenty of times when government employees get into a lot of trouble by using software that’s not approved by government entities. From private email servers to encrypted messaging apps, big problems occur when government employees download software outside of IT policy.
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If ransomware hasn’t gotten your attention yet, then the WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm that ravaged the world for a week in mid-May should make you sit up. The attacks were so devastating to many organizations—from major hospitals to important financial institutions—that ransomware is now mainstream news and the talk of federal and state legislators.
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Despite the perceived importance of ADA-compliant websites, many city websites do not comply with best practices that help disabled people access content. While ADA, W3C, and other organizations provide detailed guidelines and best practices, very few enforceable laws exist to keep cities accountable. Plus, even if a website designer follows all ADA best practices, a city employee may upload content to the city's website that doesn’t meet these requirements.
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Are you sure that fraudsters aren’t currently stealing money from you? Is your technology modernized in such a way that you aren’t headed for a major disaster like permanent data loss?
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Last time we talked about warning signs such as lack of data backup, aging hardware, and non-technical staff handling IT issues. In Part Two, we discuss five more warning signs that may lead your city toward a disaster.
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Too many times, cities only take action when a disruption or disaster hits. That’s way, way too late. Let’s look at some scenarios that might strike a chord with your city. If any of these scenarios speak to you, then you need to act. Now.
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CitySmart by VC3
December 20, 2016
Mike Smith, Network Infrastructure Consultant
What happens when the worst happens? As an important city policy that should not be neglected, a disaster recovery and business continuity policy outlines how to recover electronic data after a catastrophe. Because cities cannot predict when a disaster such as a fire, flooding, or tornado will occur, it’s essential that a disaster recovery plan is in place.
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CitySmart by VC3
November 28, 2016
Ryan Warrick, Network Infrastructure Consultant, Sophicity
To understand the importance of network security, imagine your technology like it’s city hall. Inside city hall, you have people, offices, hallways, and assets like furniture, office supplies, and computers. To gain access to the inside, parts of city hall may be open to the public—like the unlocked front door from 9-to-5. Other parts may be off-limits directly (such as a locked door) or indirectly (such as a security officer or a sign that says “keep out”).
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Displaying Items 46-60 (of 80)