Small cities and counties hold sensitive resident data with limited IT staff. This checklist covers the essentials.
Local governments are attractive targets because they hold resident records, process payments and often run older systems with small teams.
Start with an inventory of every device, account and cloud service in use. Enforce MFA on email and remote access, deploy modern endpoint protection, and confirm that backups are tested and stored offline. Move public-facing email and websites toward .gov where appropriate, and document who to call in the first hour of an incident.
A short annual cybersecurity assessment gives council members a plain-language picture of risk and a prioritized plan they can budget for.