Enhancing Security for State and Local Government Agencies

Providing Cyberprotection for State and Local Governments to Enable Better Constituent Service
The digital revolution has impacted every type of organization, including state and local government entities. Government agencies are now using technology to create new services to better serve constituents and voters. Their employees have a mission-oriented mindset that is focused on the new services that are now possible with the latest digital technologies.

As part of this focus on serving the community at large, there is also a greater focus on cybersecurity issues, since many government agencies have access to and are storing valuable private or sensitive information. According to PYMNTS.com, 38% of local governments are vulnerable to cyberattacks.¹ And as is commonly the case, many of these attacks will focus first on compromising a PC or end-user device as the entry point for a data breach. The old cybersecurity approach of just adding new individual security tools to counter one specific threat only makes protection highly complex and more likely to have unseen holes.

Improving Cybersecurity for State and Local Government
The cyberattackers of today are very different from those just a few short years ago. Today’s attackers are technically skilled and well financed and create new types of attacks regularly. These attacks are designed to be stealthy, hard to detect and eliminate, and many begin with a single compromised device that was hacked when a user simply visited a website or opened an innocent-looking email. When this happens, the old, reactionary approach of trying to stop attacks after they occur simply doesn’t work.

For modern protection, best-in-class IT vendors are now working together to provide integrated cybersecurity protection for both the hardware and software of user devices. Focusing on devices from vendors that provide a comprehensive security solution and work with key software platform vendors is the best way forward. These integrated solutions have many advantages for state and local government agencies, including the ability to:

• Simplify the process of maintaining effective security. When security is built into the device and its software, updates to defend against the latest threats are downloaded automatically.
• Ensure security is comprehensive. When cyberdefenses are built one product at a time, there are often attack vectors that are left unprotected. A pre-integrated cyberdefense platform helps eliminate oversights with a comprehensive defense.
• Implement security consistently. The old process of forcing users to download, install and update cyberdefense tools often results in devices that are not protected. Rather than force users to perform tasks they aren’t comfortable doing, it’s easier to make security a process done automatically, in the background.

The latest hardware and software not only provide a more secure device right out of the box, but these new features also solve many long-standing problems. One of the most important is enhancing user authentication by providing more secure sign-on tools, beyond simple username and password combinations. The ability to use multifactor authentication (MFA) that eliminates the problem of compromised accounts is a huge boost to cyberdefenses. In addition, new software and hardware better protects any data that is resident on the device, making it harder to access key information if a device is lost or stolen.

Lenovo and Intel Deliver Next-Generation User and Device Security
Lenovo’s commitment to device security, combined with the assurance that its Trusted Supplier Program aligns with the Intel® Transparent Supply Chain initiative, ensures that government agencies have the confidence necessary to carry out all constituent services in a secure, compliant manner.

Lenovo ThinkShield and Intel® vPro™ Platform provides an entirely new level of protection with stronger authentication tools. Using Intel Authenticate technology, support for MFA is enabled with protected fingerprint and facial recognition, as well as protected PIN authentication options.

Lenovo ThinkShield, in concert with Intel processors and security tools, helps state and local governments stay protected with an integrated and comprehensive cybersecurity platform. For more information, please go to: https://solutions.lenovo.com/pc-solutions/thinkshield/

¹ “38 Percent of Local Governments Vulnerable to Cyberattacks,” PYMNTS.com, June 25, 2018