Public Sector

Security

Government agencies hold massive amounts of sensitive personal information about private citizens and must vigilantly protect it. Identity and access management for employees, vendors and citizens alike, is one of the most pressing government information security challenges today.

As agencies transition away from on-premises legacy apps and begin to embrace SaaS solutions — such as those for appointment scheduling and queue management, citizen engagement, payments and collections, communications and workflow automation — understanding who is accessing data, and from what device, is imperative. Access control requirements are compounded by the fact that many back office public sector employees will continue working from home for a considerable amount of time.

Because they serve the public, government systems must be the epitome of open and accessible. Zero trust frameworks, which boost cyberdefenses when there is no longer a defensible perimeter, are necessary for government agencies and their open, interconnected systems.

Public Health & Safety

Several digital technologies, such as health monitoring platforms that ensure adequate social distancing and effective workplace hygiene, are now widely available to ensure safer spaces for customer-facing public servants and the citizenry who must make in-person visits to these agencies.

Law enforcement agencies and first responders also are benefitting from stronger digital platforms such as better-integrated emergency response systems, improved video surveillance and geolocation capabilities, robotics and artificial intelligence, and 5G networks that enhance and power the above.

Mobility & Access

This is a connected world. Citizens expect to interact with agencies in real time through mobile apps – as do public servants who work in the field. Agencies that are not building secure and software-defined infrastructure to handle the traffic requirements of SaaS solutions, e-payments, identity management, and AI are not adequately serving the public.

Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC)

Regardless of whether a public employee logs in from home or from a desk at work, UCC platforms – including phone systems, collaboration software, and contact center solutions – power communication. This includes communication with agency colleagues, personnel in other departments, and external suppliers as well as the public. Contact center systems are also alleviating pressure for understaffed customer service departments by enabling self-service inquiries, saving time and often resulting in high customer satisfaction.

Procurement

We know that public sector budgets represent a public trust. Delivering projects as promised – including on time and on budget – is something we take very seriously.

Obtaining essential hardware, software and services at the best price is a must-do for public agencies. Fortunately, there are a variety of purchasing and contracting methods available to these institutions. Whether leveraging contracts like NASPO, GSA or NCPA — or even soliciting bids — the public sector benefits from competitive pricing. Further, when working with knowledgeable solution providers like Structured, agencies can also obtain pricing that is even better than what the contracts advertise.

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

Under FISMA, each federal agency must develop, document, and implement an agency-wide program to provide information security for its information systems and data to support the operations and assets of the agency, including those provided or managed by another agency, contractor, or other source.

NIST 800-53

This standard framework of controls applies to government entities that are governed by FISMA. This all encompassing standard is meant to be tailored for control reduction to fit the actual operational requirements of the organization.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)

A subset of security controls from NIST 800-53 that typically apply to critical infrastructure such as telecommunications, utilities, transportation, and other important services.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Sets requirements for any organizations “that store, process or transmit cardholder data.”

Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls

Originally formed in late 2000 as a response to growing cyber threats, the Center for Internet Security began to crowdsource a prioritized set of actions to protect organizations and data from known cyber attack vectors. The organizing principle was to provide clarity into the lifecycle of attacks and then offer a concrete plan of 20 counteractions, or controls, that realistically could be implemented by organizations of all sizes. Today, the CIS Controls provide global standards for internet security and best practices for securing IT systems and data against attacks.

Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)

CJIS is a network system that provides information on criminal activities for law enforcement agencies and authorized users.  Maintaining access to use that network requires compliance with cybersecurity requirements for system hardening, access control, and data protection.