Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cybersecurity Shared Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington County IT committee outlines shared-services plan, begins DHS penetration test
Summary
County IT staff told the committee they are developing shared IT services for towns, warned that personal email accounts create cyber risk, and said a Department of Homeland Security penetration test is underway; the committee also accepted minutes from Jan. 21.
Washington County information-technology staff told the county IT committee on an organizational update that they are preparing to offer shared IT services to towns and will run a Department of Homeland Security penetration test over the coming weeks.
At the start of the meeting the committee voted to accept the minutes from its Jan. 21 meeting. The motion was approved by voice vote; the record shows an affirmative voice vote and the chair declared the motion passed.
IT staff gave a projects report and said several software implementations are under way and some near completion. Staff noted physical installations remain where weather and exterior cabling issues are delaying completion of a small set of camera installations at the LAC facility. The sheriff’s office recently completed a replacement of about 70 desktop computers, a change that contributed to a temporary increase in support tickets for January.
Staff described plans to offer county-hosted real property software for towns, delivered remotely so municipal officials would not need to run and back up the software locally. County staff said they hope to have a structure in place by the end of the first quarter to begin outreach to towns about that option.
On cybersecurity, staff recommended that municipalities adopt corporate-managed email accounts and reduce use of personal Gmail, Yahoo and similar accounts for official business. County cybersecurity personnel offered to meet with town officials to review contracts and security needs. The committee was specifically invited to speak with the county’s cybersecurity specialist, identified in the meeting as Ryan.
IT staff also said Washington County is currently undergoing a penetration test coordinated through the Department of Homeland Security. Staff described the test as an ethical “white hat” effort that began with external testing and will move to internal, on-site testing; they said the exercise will identify any vulnerabilities and that the county will receive a post-test report with findings and recommendations. Staff cautioned parts of that report may contain sensitive information and may not be suitable for broad public distribution.
Committee members asked practical questions about timing and whether county-run services would include on-site support; staff said the county’s long-term aim is to provide repair and replacement services for participating municipalities where feasible, but that requirements—such as corporate email and supported on-premises infrastructure—must be met before the county can fully support an office.
The meeting closed after a short period of questions and committee discussion.
