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County IT briefs legislators on cybersecurity, infrastructure and AI risks; task force and tabletop exercises planned
Summary
Tompkins County Information Technology Services (ITS) updated the committee on cybersecurity preparedness (including 0-day response), infrastructure modernization, GIS upgrades and early steps toward AI policy and inter-county coordination.
Tompkins County Information Technology Services (ITS) told the Government Operations Committee on April 3 that it is prioritizing cybersecurity, infrastructure modernization and preparing a multi-agency response to rapid changes in artificial intelligence.
ITS staff said the department of 11 supports about 814 county employees and external partners and is pursuing a five-year plan to modernize core switches, storage and servers. ITS highlighted daily cyber threats and the need to be ready for 0-day vulnerabilities — sudden, unpatched software flaws that require immediate response. ITS staff cited Log4j as a prior example of a widely publicized vulnerability and said the county conducts tabletop exercises and partners with state and federal organizations to test readiness and response.
On elections and public-facing systems, ITS staff emphasized the importance of patch management, device lifecycle planning and prompt support so staff are not left with broken equipment. ITS’ GIS division is planning mapping-tool and database upgrades to support county planning and decision-making.
Committee members asked about artificial intelligence. ITS representatives said an AI policy does not yet exist but the county is forming a state-level task force of IT directors and exploring policy, governance and procurement challenges. Members noted that AI tools are already being tested for meeting summaries and draft resolutions; ITS cautioned that machine-learning tools can reproduce biases and incorrect information and recommended careful governance.
ITS requested continued engagement from the committee as it develops AI strategy and reported that the department is working with Communications and ITS ticketing to better track requests and time spent on projects.
Ending: ITS asked to return with more detailed proposals on AI governance and infrastructure investments; committee members requested an educational briefing on AI risks and a future tabletop exercise for legislators and staff.
