https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Commentary

How government agencies can encourage employee mobility while preventing network security threats (with related video)

How government agencies can encourage employee mobility while preventing network security threats (with related video)

Patrick Oliver Graf, an IT expert, says government agencies can maintain a secure network, even if they have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy in place for agency employees.
  • Written by Patrick Oliver Graf
  • 16th August 2013

Government employees are increasingly demanding the ability to work on their personal devices like their friends in the private sector, and they are asking for anytime, anywhere access to their employers’ networks. Federal, state and local agencies are scrambling to implement Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to keep workers happy and productive. In fact, a recent study by the Mobile Work Exchange found that 40 percent of government agencies have implemented or will implement BYOD within the next two years.

At the same time that BYOD is becoming more pervasive, new mobile threat vectors are emerging to exploit the ever-widening array of devices and operating systems that are connecting to all enterprise networks, including public sector networks. As a result, it is important for government organizations to find solutions that give employees the freedom to use their own mobile devices, while preventing sensitive information from being exposed.

Agencies should begin by first updating their remote access policies with BYOD in mind. It’s important that three security objectives are kept in mind: Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA). Modern remote access policies should achieve these objectives with a universal and integrated approach to network security. System threat models for mobile devices are worthwhile to consider at this stage, to examine potential network vulnerabilities and to analyze where security controls need to be improved.

In choosing a remote access solution for BYOD, interoperability is critical to ensure maximum security. As more types of devices are accessing a network, every security and network component needs to be in constant communication to coordinate a comprehensive defense-in-depth strategy that can adapt to prevent a variety of threats.

Central management is another key feature that agencies should look for in a remote access solution to maintain compliance. With such a solution, government IT departments can easily monitor adherence to security guidelines, roll out updates and revoke user access immediately, in case a device is compromised.

To further guarantee network security, agencies should periodically conduct assessments to make sure that mobile device policies, procedures and solutions are working properly. With continual monitoring, the right remote access components and BYOD policies in place, government agencies can have peace of mind that their workers are able to safely and securely work on their devices.

Patrick Oliver Graf is general manager, Americas of NCP engineering. His company sells its remote-access virtual private network (VPN) solutions to government agencies and other organizations. A total of 24 federal, state and local agencies have equipped themselves with NCP’s technology for fast, secure access to their network resources and communication of sensitive data. The company has U.S. offices in Mountain View, Calif.

Editor's note: GPN will feature security products in the GPN October Information Technology section.

This video outlines what is needed in a secure VPN.

Tags: Smart Cities & Technology Commentary

Most Recent


  • citizen
    How to move to a citizen-focused engagement model
    We know that engaged citizens play a critical role in helping make government agencies more transparent, more effective and more accountable. In fact, putting increased attention on digital government services and the citizen experience was ranked as one of the biggest changes that state chief information officers expected to continue post-pandemic. But too often, many […]
  • digital
    How to leverage digital tools to drive innovation in government
    The rapid evolution of digital technologies transformed the way governments function, making them more efficient, transparent and citizen-friendly. Rather than relying on crystal trophies, governments can leverage digital tools to drive innovation and streamline processes, benefiting the population they serve. Open data and crowdsourcing Open data refers to making government data available to the public, […]
  • Broadband
    Oversight committee addresses NTIA reauthorization, FCC broadband map ahead of BEAD Program funding allocations
    As technological advancements continue to roll out at a breakneck pace, from artificial intelligence to high speed broadband connectivity, investment in digital infrastructure has become a defining theme of the modern era. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stressed the importance of this charge in opening remarks at […]
  • zero trust
    Zero trust is a great strategy but a terrible name
    The monthly town hall meeting was going well until they got to the agenda item called “zero trust.” What was to be a routine request for additional funding to implement a zero-trust environment quickly became one of confusion and misunderstanding. Trust in government at all levels has continued its downward spiral over the years. So, […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

White papers


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 best suburbs for city-like living

1st June 2023

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.