Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cybersecurity Training topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bay County approves renewal and expansion of KnowBe4 cybersecurity training
Summary
The board approved a renewal and expansion of the KnowBe4 security-awareness and HR compliance training platform; staff said the program enrolls employees automatically after failed phishing tests and completion rates are currently about 30% without enforcement sanctions.
Bay County's Board of Commissioners Committee of the Whole voted Oct. 14 to renew and expand the county's KnowBe4 cybersecurity and compliance training contract after staff described the program's phishing tests, automatic remediation and planned rollout phases.
An agenda line described the item as a "renewal and expansion of the KnowBe4 training platform agreement." A commissioner who said they had completed the training urged the board to encourage countywide uptake and described it as helpful to protect both county systems and personal accounts.
"I just, I wanna say I went through the training today that is, part of the Know Before platform, and I hope that everybody does it in this room and in this building and in all the other buildings that we have," one speaker said (transcribed as "Know Before"). County staff later used the product name on the agenda and in other remarks as KnowBe4; the article uses the vendor's correct product styling, KnowBe4, to reflect the agreement under consideration.
Staff explained the program's features: failed phishing tests automatically enroll employees in additional clicker training, modules are split into a security-awareness phase followed by HR compliance modules, and department directors could select modules relevant to their staff. A staff member said the county has used the platform for about six years.
Commissioners asked whether the training is mandatory and how completion is enforced. A staff member replied, "Yes. It is mandatory, but there's no consequence consequences at this point in time for not doing it," and said completion rates were roughly 30% to 40% depending on the quarter. County officials discussed options for increasing compliance, particularly for part-time or on-call employees who lack easy computer access.
Several commissioners voiced support for stronger enforcement and offered help to improve completion rates. The board approved the renewal/expansion by voice vote; the transcript records the motion carried after "Aye" responses.
Next steps: the agreement was approved and staff will continue implementation plans including phase 1 (security awareness and HR compliance modules) and phase 2 (opening modules to other departments); commissioners encouraged staff to return with proposals for improving completion and enforcement.
