Guest post by Liz Vega, Senior Manager, Government, Education, Healthcare Global Marketing, Xerox Large Enterprise Operations
When it comes to digital ways of working, government agencies struggle to keep up with the private sector. In fact, 76% of government agencies lag behind their private sector peers in digital adoption[1]. And just 37% of government agencies are satisfied with their response to digital trends[2].
There’s one area where government agencies face an especially difficult challenge – data security. Nearly 25% of the public sector will incur a large-scale data breach—more than any other industry[3]. Cybersecurity is a monumental issue in local and state governments, especially considering the types of data and information they must protect. Social Security numbers, credit card information, driver’s license numbers, tax information: It’s no surprise that the data housed by state and local governments tempts hackers and cybercriminals.
High Priority But Little Progress
Cybersecurity is the top strategic IT priority for state and local government agencies, according to the recent survey from the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). Yet the majority of agencies still have not fully developed their cybersecurity processes, plans and technologies.
The security challenge is made more difficult by lack of funding, and that’s not changing any time soon. State and local governments face long-term fiscal challenges, with a growing gap between revenue and spending through the year 2060[4].Typical state and local government agencies spend less than 5% of their IT budgets on cybersecurity, compared to 10% in commercial enterprises[5].
Government also faces problems attracting and retaining the talent to correct a severe lack of qualified IT staff. Nearly 92% of states say salary rates and pay grade structures present a challenge in attracting and retaining IT talent[6]. This gets serious fast, as 62% of government agencies say that lack of skilled personnel is a major challenge when it comes to cybersecurity[7].
Focusing on Document-based Processes
Threats are rising, yet many government organizations overlook prime areas where breaches occur, such as printers. In fact, research finds that 84% of the public sector has already had a print-related data breach[8]. As if it wasn’t hard enough, government IT leaders can’t ignore the “citizens” of their own networks either, both employees as well as the devices themselves. Over half of government IT pros say negligent insiders are the top security threat[9].
Compliance regulations are also increasing, and security is a major component of most compliance mandates. HIPAA, OCSE, FSSA and NIST regulations are some examples that require a strong security framework[10].
Managed Print Services Can Support Document Security
The point of this post isn’t to create gloom and uncertainty. The goal is to focus on a critical issue for government agencies of all sizes, and to point to solutions designed to help public sector IT better manage document security. Many agencies, from local to state and beyond, have found relief in Managed Print Services (MPS.)
Internal, document-driven processes can be focal points for data security initiatives that benefit from MPS. As files are accessed, shared, printed and saved, IT must ensure this is done in a secure way. You can’t overlook the importance of document, device and employee oversight this kind of solution can provide. MPS providers offer reliable tools to help agencies ensure the security of their data.
Click here to see why government data might not be as secure as you think.
[1] “The Journey to Government’s Digital Transformation.” William D. Eggers & Joel Bellman. October 2, 2015
[2] “The Journey to Government’s Digital Transformation.” William D. Eggers & Joel Bellman. October 2, 2015
[3] 2014 Cost of Data Breach Study: United States. Ponemon Institute LLC. 2014
[4] “States, Local Governments Face Huge Budget Challenges.” Leonard Gilroy. February 26, 2015
[5] “The Cybersecurity Challenges Facing State and Local Governments.” InfoSecurity. August 19, 2015
[6] “State IT Workforce Recruitment and Retention.” GovtJobs. May 17, 2015
[7] “Survey Says Government is the Biggest Cybersecurity Threat.” Security Solution for Enabling and Assuring Business. October 3, 2015
[8] “Closing the Print Security Gap.” Louella Fernandes. 2015
[9] Federal Cybersecurity Survey. Solarwinds. March 2014
[10] “4 Critical Challenges to State and Local Government Cybersecurity Efforts Industry Perspective.” Government Technology. July 17, 2015
