Consultant presents cybersecurity package; county staff to return with refined costs

Jerry Watts of TechSource Solutions briefed the Claiborne County Board of Supervisors on May 18 about cybersecurity gaps flagged in a prior assessment and proposed a multi-part security package to address those exposures.

Watts described managed detection and response (a 24/7 security operations capability that can lock down systems automatically), multi-factor authentication for user logins, advanced email and phishing protections with user training, endpoint protection and patch-management software, and conditional access features added to the county’s Microsoft licensing. “Managed detection and response… is basically a security operation center watching our computers 24/7,” Watts said while outlining the proposal.

Using the county’s current user counts, Watts estimated licensing and operating costs at roughly $28,400 per year, including endpoint software, Office 365 advanced protection per user and Microsoft conditional-access licensing; he said staff (Miss Dodson) is working with him to pare the total and will return with exact pricing. The board took no purchase action on May 18 and asked Watts and county staff to provide refined numbers at the next meeting so the board can consider formal approval.