Is your network safe from hackers and ransomware? Have you seen this or this or this?
On recent visits to offices like yours, we heard significant concerns about IT security and specifically about ransomware. Articles like those linked above have raised the alarm for many of us. Council members are seeing the same reports you have seen and are asking about steps you may or may not have taken to keep your municipal network safe.
Bad news: The ransomware problem is bad and getting worse; there is no end in sight. Municipal offices are now prime targets. The old days of easy-to-spot scams are past, the emerging threats are sophisticated, personalized and targeted particularly at government.
The good news is that there are practical steps you can take that will minimize your risk; steps that ensure your office recovers quickly, even if you become victim to one of these scams.
To outline those steps, we are planning an educational seminar in your area for early 2020 and are inviting other municipalities to participate. The group session will provide information and take-home material to protect your office and develop a disaster recovery plan. This seminar is not sales-oriented; it is focused on educating staff and your council about the threat and best practices to avoid being exploited. In the seminar, we will work with you and your peers to develop an action plan specific to your needs and your risks.
We believe this seminar is necessary for municipal offices, but before we formalize a date, we need to gauge interest. A head count from your office and your preferred date in mid February or early March would help us finalize the details.
We currently anticipate a half-day, including lunch, at a venue within easy driving distance of your office. We expect cost to be approximately $ 200 per attendee. We strongly recommend that as many of your staff and council as possible attend. The cost of a ransomware outbreak far exceeds the time and dollar costs invested in prevention and planning.
- What date(s) work best for you and your staff?
- How many attendees do you expect to bring?
- Are there other IT-related concerns you would like addressed?
Get protected by attending an upcoming seminar - reserve your spot now
TMM has more than thirty years of experience working in the municipal realm; we speak your language. More than forty of your peers are working with us to deal with municipal challenges including taxation, cemeteries, record management, hardware support, websites, backup and other vital services.
