Jefferson City - The State of Missouri’s Office of Administration, along with its Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) and Office of Cyber Security, announced it is among 50 organizations being recognized by IDG’s CSO with a 2017 CSO50 Award. The Missouri project was chosen from a highly-competitive field for thought leadership and creating outstanding business value.
The Office of Cybersecurity’s “Using Public Data to Alert Organizations of Vulnerabilities” program identifies vulnerable internet connected systems belonging to organizations from various industries across the State of Missouri. The program identifies high-risk systems that, if left insecure, could lead to disruptions within critical infrastructure or significant data loss, and contacts the owners of the impacted systems to mitigate risks.
“I am tremendously proud of our team’s efforts and their well-deserved recognition as a 2017 CSO50 honoree,” said Office of Administration Commissioner Doug Nelson. “Under Governor Nixon’s leadership, we have made critical infrastructure and online accessibility to life-sustaining services a key priority. The CSO50 award is another example of how the State of Missouri continues to be recognized as a national leader in cybersecurity best practices.”
“In today’s cybersecurity climate, we are all under a constant threat of attack,” said Missouri Chief Information Security Officer Mike Roling. “This program has enabled us to leverage public data across a variety of industries in a way that had not been done before to quickly minimize risks and better safeguard IT systems and data.”
“The stakes have never been higher when it comes to protecting an organization’s sensitive data from criminals and breaches,” said Joan Goodchild, editor in chief of CSO. “Security leaders are expected to not only deliver protection, but also to drive business initiatives. Our annual CSO50 awards recognize security projects that enhance defense and also deliver ROI.”
The CSO50 Awards are scored according to a uniform set of criteria by a panel of judges that includes security leaders, industry experts, and academics. The 2017 awards will be presented at the CSO50 Conference + Awards in May of 2017.
Earlier in 2016, Missouri was one of five elite states in the nation to receive an A grade from the Center for Digital Government in its 2016 Digital States Survey. In its report, the Center cited Missouri’s public safety and emergency management programs as the crown jewel of the state’s efforts.
In August, Office of Administration hosted the first ever State of Missouri Governor’s Cybersecurity Summit and also launched a statewide cybersecurity preparedness initiative to bolster ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity by raising awareness and sharing best practices with local government, businesses, educational institutions and citizens.
In May, the Office of Cyber Security’s Cybersecurity Portal was honored with the “Innovation of the Year” award from StateScoop, the leading government IT media company. The StateScoop 50 Awards celebrate outstanding achievements of the nation’s top state IT and tech industry leaders making a positive impact in government and public service.
In 2015, ITSD was honored with the “Overall Excellence in Cyber Security Award” at the FireEye Defense Summit in Washington, D.C. Missouri ITSD was chosen for being a model of cybersecurity awareness, infrastructure and practices.