The Rhode Island Cybersecurity Commission's recent report on the state's cyber readiness contained a number of recommendations, including better coordination between state and federal agencies, optimizing state resources to improve operational resiliency and making residents aware of available protective resources.
To eliminate the state's problems the commission recommended improving the Rhode Island's cyber health through training and technology deployment; upgrade the state's Cyber Disruption Team to create a more robust response capability; expand the Rhode Island Fusion Center, which was created to investigate terror activity, giving it a cybercrime fighting role; establish a better working relationship the state's National Guard cyber defense teams and their federal counterparts.
“Rhode Island has not yet fully integrated and optimized its assets in a way that will ensure state government operations remain resilient,” the report stated.
The commission will present a second report on this topic in December.
Rhode Island is just one of many states that are in the midst of creating, or that have already created, a state cyber plan. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers found that about 75 percent of states now have a cyber plan, which is up from 61 percent last year, according to a Law360.
