Leveraging The Power of Identity Security for State and Local Government

In today’s digital age, identity security has become an increasingly important topic for all organizations, including state and local government agencies. As these agencies continue to provide critical services to citizens and businesses, they must ensure that their employees, contractors, systems, and data are protected from unauthorized access and potential cyber threats. 

State governments are responsible for providing a wide range of services to citizens, from issuing driver’s licenses and managing voting systems to managing healthcare programs and overseeing transportation infrastructure. As state governments continue to rely more heavily on digital systems and data, they face a growing number of identity security challenges. 

Local governments, which include cities, towns, and counties, face similar identity security challenges to state governments. However, local governments often have fewer resources and may be more vulnerable to cyber threats due to their smaller size and less mature security postures.

Here are some of the most significant identity security challenges for state and local governments today:

1. Cyber Attacks: State governments are a high-value target for cybercriminals seeking sensitive information, such as personal data, health records, and financial information. Cyber attacks can take many forms, from phishing and social engineering to ransomware and denial-of-service attacks. These attacks can cause significant disruptions to critical services and result in data breaches.
2. Insider Threats: Like commercial enterprise organizations, government agencies are vulnerable to insider threats from employees who abuse their access privileges or who accidentally expose sensitive information. Insider threats can be intentional or unintentional, and they can result in significant data breaches and other security incidents. 
3. Data Privacy: State governments collect and store large amounts of personal information about citizens, such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and tax, property ,and health records. Ensuring the privacy and security of this data is a critical responsibility of state governments and is essential to maintaining the trust of citizens.
4. Compliance Requirements: Government agencies are subject to various federal and state regulations governing the protection of sensitive information, such as HIPAA and FERPA. Meeting these compliance requirements can be challenging, particularly as regulations continue to evolve and become more complex, and especially for smaller local governments with limited resources.
5. Legacy Systems: Many state government agencies rely on outdated legacy systems while local agencies have limited IT infrastructure. This lack of modern security features can leave them more vulnerable to cyber threats. Further, state agencies often have complex IT infrastructures with multiple systems and applications, making it challenging to effectively manage user identities and access privileges.
6. Limited Resources: Local governments may have limited budgets and IT staff, making it difficult to invest in robust security solutions and keep up with the latest security threats.

A Three Step Approach to Identity Excellence

Let’s explore how state and local government agencies can enhance their security posture and protect their constituents’ information.

1. Review and Assess Your Identity and Access Management (IAM) Strategy

IAM solutions are designed to manage user access to applications, systems, and data based on their roles and responsibilities. An integrated platform like the SailPoint Identity Platform can enforce access policies, streamline user provisioning and de-provisioning, and provide visibility into user activity. By centralizing and streamlining identity management, you can reduce the risk of unauthorized access, and comply with regulatory requirements.

It’s important to conduct a regular assessment of your solutions and what systems are actually covered, your user population’s access needs and identify any gaps you may have. You will also want to understand where you can migrate to the cloud vs continue to carry the on-premises technology approach. 

2. Consider a Cloud-Based Identity Governance Solution

Identity governance is the process of managing and controlling user access to sensitive applications, systems, and data. The SailPoint Cloud Identity Governance Platform automates manual IT processes to drive efficiencies and maintain stringent regulatory compliance requirements. You can also apply machine learning/artificial intelligence techniques to prevent unwanted application and data access that typically leads to data breaches. 

Ultimately, going with a cloud solution is a less complex approach and will enable you to lower costs, automate provisioning processes and reduce the need for a large dedicated team to manage the program.

3. Train Your Team for Identity Security Self-Sufficiency

While user awareness training is an essential step in educating employees on the importance of identity security and how to protect sensitive information, it’s also important to ensure your IT team is self-sufficient in managing SailPoint after implementation. At Regatta, we take a hands-on approach in training so your team can take an active role in future delivery. Even after implementation is complete, Regatta IAM experts and executives are available to answer any question you may have about secure access management, around the clock.   

Protect Access to Government Data No Matter Where It Lives with SailPoint & Regatta

State and local governments face similar identity security challenges which  require a comprehensive approach including robust security policies, modern identity security technologies, and user education and training programs. Prioritizing identity security to protect critical services and maintain the trust of citizens is key for today’s state and local agencies. 

Regatta – Your Agency Partner in Identity Security Implementation 

The team at Regatta is experienced with the proper clearance to help you craft your identity security strategy, move IAM efforts to the cloud, implement quickly. With our team of identity experts, you’ll become trained and proficient within a matter of weeks, not years. If you are ready to prioritize identity security to protect your agency’s systems and data from cyber threats, request a free strategy call today.