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Cyber Is Like the Dentist: The Importance of Good Hygiene

In light of a recent audit that found widespread lack of cybersecurity compliance among agencies, CIO Craig Orgeron discusses the importance of regular maintenance for both people and systems to keep Mississippi secure.

Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron
Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron
Government Technology
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cybersecurity tops every CIO’s priority list year after year. While there are many elements to addressing cyberconcerns, at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference Monday, Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron identified his top challenge as the people problem: getting state workers to practice good cyberhygiene.

“Many times when I go to the Capitol, I get the question, ‘What do you need?’… And it’s not something that can be given,” he said.

That issue was made clear last week when the results of a state audit were released finding that more than half of respondents failed to comply with the Mississippi Enterprise Security Protocols, put in place in 2017.

Orgeron said that State Auditor Shad White used those protocols as a benchmark for evaluating cybersecurity practices among agencies. White’s findings brought to light the reality of the work that needs to be done in Mississippi on a day-to-day basis to ensure employees are doing their part to protect state systems. “It’s a story that needs to be told,” Orgeron said.

Lauren Kinkade is the managing editor for Government Technology magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and more than 15 years’ experience in book and magazine publishing.