Prioritizing Cybersecurity for State Government: How a ‘Whole of Government’ Approach Benefits All

The Center for Cybersecurity Policy & Law, an independent organization dedicated to enhancing cybersecurity worldwide, conducted a study on public sector organizations and malicious threats. Within the publication “Prioritizing Cybersecurity for State Government: How a ‘Whole of Government’ Approach Benefits All”, an approach that follows fundamental cybersecurity tenets, such as effective risk management, is presented. Recommendations and benefits of a “whole-of-government” approach to cybersecurity services is detailed, with the aim to integrate public institutions into a comprehensive IT framework. A whole-of-government approach enables national IT to provide services to state agencies, local governments, and other public institutions, relying on increased scale and visibility to threats to protect their state at all levels. This paper is meant as a guide for decisions made by state executives and can inform the development of national strategies to IT services.