Quick look
Iowa State University is leading a statewide initiative that offers free training exercises for city administrators, county officials and school leaders. Time is the only investment for local government leaders. The goal is to create an action plan to limit disruption to daily operations following a cyberattack.
AMES, Iowa - A cyberattack can cripple essential services provided by cities, counties or school districts when technology is disrupted for days or even longer. Local governments can reduce the impact by developing continuity plans to maintain operations.
Iowa State University is leading a statewide initiative that offers free training exercises for city administrators, county officials and school leaders. The goal of the exercise is to identify services that depend on technology and create an action plan to limit disruption to daily operations following a cyberattack.
"Unfortunately, there is no way to completely eliminate the risk," said Doug Jacobson, director of Iowa State University's Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach. "The goal of the Iowa Cyber Resilience Initiative is to make communities more resilient so that they can continue to operate when it happens."
For example, Jacobson says around 75% of Iowa communities outsource information technology services. If that service is disrupted, local leaders will not be the ones fixing the problem. Instead, they need a plan to maintain essential services until the technology is restored.
The Iowa Cyber Resilience Initiative offers government entities a package of free services to ensure every community has access to cybersecurity tools, knowledge and support. Funding is provided through by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
"We know the needs are different, which is why the program is available to any government agency regardless of size and level of preparation," Jacobson said. "The lessons learned during the continuity exercise can apply during a cyberattack or if a tornado or flood knocks out technology in a community."
Getting started is simple and free
Iowa is unique in its service-based approach. To have the greatest statewide impact, Jacobson's team works directly with local leaders to identify vulnerabilities and assess existing security procedures (there is no requirement to have security procedures in place to participate in the program).
The team develops and conducts a Cybersecurity Incident Management Exercise - it could be a cyberattack or a natural disaster - to facilitate conversations among local government officials and community leaders who would have a role in the response. The exercise provides cities, counties and school districts with:
- A shared understanding of essential services
- Clear operational priorities
- Practical workarounds for technology outages
- Better communication across departments
Panora City Administrator Lisa Grossman said the workshop provided actionable steps to improve her community's cyber readiness.
"The content was practical, clearly presented and directly applicable to the challenges cities face in strengthening cybersecurity and preparing for emerging threats. The hands-on guidance and real-world scenario made it easy to understand where our vulnerabilities may be and how to address them," Grossman said. "It was time well spent and a great resource for Iowa communities."
Services offered through the Cyber Resilience Initiative are provided free of charge. Time is the only investment for local government leaders. Jacobson says the time commitment varies based on the size of the government entity and continuity exercises are generally two hours in length.
To learn more, local leaders need to complete this online form.
