David Rand

Updating primitive hardware and software. Improving . Adding critical identity and access controls. Patching key security systems. These are some of the things that state and local government chief information security officers (CISOs) have done with the funding they received from the first year of the cybersecurity grant program tied to President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure act. And applicants for Year 2 of the federal program are currently waiting to hear whether they’ll get funding.

With digital threats coming from all directions, modern cybersecurity chiefs generally know that no matter what they do, an attack will ultimately succeed. And they’ll have to explain why. For Dr. Dennis Leber, who oversees cybersecurity at Honest Medical Group, a value-based healthcare startup with headquarters in Nashville, it’s critical to forge close partnerships with the C-suite and board of directors.

After taking a bit of a vacation in 2022, ransomware attacks are back with a vengeance and hitting financial institutions hard. Last year, as organizations implemented more security controls and better rigor around how they dealt with hackers seeking payouts, successful attacks plunged 61% compared to 2021, according to a report from Delinea, an access management software company.