The Jim Wells County Information Technology director briefed commissioners on Sept. 3 about recommended cybersecurity and technology investments following a countywide IT assessment.

IT staff said a third-party assessment by a cybersecurity firm (Core Recon) identified vulnerabilities and recommended 24/7 incident monitoring and related services. The IT director described proposed line items including cybersecurity service subscriptions, expanded Microsoft licensing, firewall and email protections, website hosting for county services and upgrades to servers and cameras. He said the total of several combined software and maintenance items was substantial, and that some implementation steps might be eligible for grant funding but could require a local match (the director said a match could be about 30 percent if a grant becomes available).

"They did a really good job with assessment, and it gave us a finding," the IT director said about Core Recon's work, and asked that commissioners consider the software and hardware maintenance package to improve county resiliency. The IT director also asked for modest travel and equipment-line increases to support additional county facilities that have come online in recent years.

County staff and the auditor discussed the total projected increases and noted the county could pursue grant opportunities to offset part of the cost, with the caveat that grant timing and match requirements are uncertain.

Ending: Commissioners asked the IT director and auditor to include the cybersecurity and hardware requests in budget modeling and to pursue potential grants; no final budget appropriation for IT was approved on Sept. 3.