Because government procurement can be “painfully slow,” Cannon said, Stafford County formed its partnership with CIT and designated the nonprofit as the procurement agent for Smart Stafford, Cannon said. That allows the project to respond to real-world requirements quickly.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today without that kind of mechanism and the ability to do that,” he said.
Stafford County, a medium-sized jurisdiction, also benefits from partnerships with other regional governments. It houses Marine Corps Base Quantico, the FBI Academy and other federal institutions that work with it. The county also reached out to neighboring counties and cities to discuss forming a regional coalition, and they are in talks to create a shared security operations center.
“You need to look at a regional approach when you are talking about small and medium-sized organizations,” Cannon said. Participating government agencies would collaborate on cybersecurity initiatives and share threat information. Initiatives will include joint training and tabletop exercises, Cannon added.