AWS Public Sector Blog
Author: Maria S. Thompson
Maria is an executive government advisor at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and helps customers establish a security-first baseline. She works with customers’ leadership teams to identify trends, establish best practices, and develop holistic security strategies. Maria also works with AWS security partners and supports state and local government policy and regulatory bodies. Prior to AWS, she was the Chief Risk and Security Officer for the State of North Carolina.
Continuous monitoring and governance: AWS best practices for keeping your data secure during the holidays and beyond
As we look ahead to 2025, it’s crucial to maintain vigilance, especially during the holiday season, when cybersecurity risks tend to escalate. Many organizations use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance their security posture and improve resilience. In this post, we discuss the AWS best practices for securing your data during the holiday season.
Whole-of-state cybersecurity: How to implement and build a sustainable program
With new funding opportunities available, now is the time for state and local government agencies to act quickly and think strategically about their approach to building a resilient whole-of-state (WOS) cybersecurity strategy. Some trailblazing states have had measures of success in establishing a WOS footprint by thinking strategically about short and long-term outcomes to support secure digital transformations and protect constituent data and services. Learn some best practices that organizations can consider in their WOS cybersecurity approach.
5 things to consider while applying to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP)
State and local government organizations are experiencing an increase in cyber incidents that impact and disrupt citizen services. In 2021, US President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which created the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) to provide funding to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments. This blog post guides you through some resources and approaches to consider as organizations strive to meet the SLCGP funding requirements.
Cloud security design considerations for state and local government
State and local government (SLG) organizations need to reflect and refocus on cyber hygiene and continuous improvement of their security posture. Here are some best practices for SLG chief information security officers (CISOs) and IT professionals to consider in their cloud journey.