County hires Blackpoint for 24/7 managed detection; commissioners replace current sensor system

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted April 23 to move the county's cybersecurity monitoring to a managed detection and response (MDR) service provided by Blackpoint Security.

County IT presenters described repeated and increasing automated intrusion attempts and said the county's current Albert sensor from the federal program alerts staff only after attacks occur and provides limited remediation. Blackpoint's service combines continuous monitoring with an operations center that detects suspicious activity quickly and performs immediate containment and remediation actions 24 hours a day.

Presenters said the managed service has two primary financial components: a one-time implementation fee and a monthly subscription supporting monitoring, threat hunting and active containment. The board approved the recommended replacement and authorized staff to implement Blackpoint pending final procurement processing. Finance staff said the one-time setup fee would be processed and that staff will identify appropriate contractual services budget lines for the monthly payments; the county will reallocate budget or seek adjustments as needed.

IT staff and Blackpoint representatives said the quicker detection and containment approach reduces risk of ransomware and other intrusions that can cost agencies hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars; commissioners cited recent industry examples and directed staff to finalize the contract and implement the service promptly.

The board passed the motion by voice vote. Staff will process the contract, complete an implementation plan and schedule department onboarding.