PHOENIX – Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) has issued an executive order to create the Arizona Cybersecurity Team (ACT), a diverse team of experts from state, local, and federal government, the private sector, and higher education to work together to protect Arizonans from a cyber attack.
The team will enhance collaboration among government, private sector, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, higher education, and the greater Arizona community to address cybersecurity statewide and advise and provide recommendations to the governor, Prescot eNews reported.
Additional objectives include enhancing cybersecurity workforce development and education and increasing public awareness on cybersecurity best practices.
“The creation of the Arizona Cybersecurity Team is another step we can take to enhance our cyber preparedness,” said Ducey in the Prescot eNews report. “In today’s world, the threat of cyber attacks is persistent and constantly evolving, which is why we are taking proactive steps to mitigate that threat and making sure agencies continually improve their cyber defenses. The security of our information systems is a top priority and we need to work together as one team throughout government and the private sector to strengthen collaboration and risk management efforts.”
“Over the last several years, we have seen cyberattacks target critical national security infrastructure, threaten our democratic institutions, and compromise the information of millions of American citizens,” said Senator John McCain (R-AZ). “It’s never been more critical for the public and private sectors to work together to strengthen our cyber defenses and protect Arizonans. I want to thank Governor Ducey for his leadership in establishing the Arizona Cybersecurity Team, which will bring diverse expertise and experience to the table to enhance our cyber capabilities, educate the public, and train a capable workforce to combat this 21st century challenge.”
“The governor’s executive order forming ACT addresses the critical need to have a statewide body to collaboratively develop a unified direction to proactively address cybersecurity threats through unified policy and seamless execution,” said Frank J. Grimmelmann, president and CEO of Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance. “ACT will position Arizona to be the forerunner nationally in cybersecurity.”