Government Domain Adoption Is Crucial for Local Agencies
Adopting the .gov domain can help make local government agency websites and services more secure and trustworthy and reduce cases of fraud involving spoofed websites, NASCIO says.
NASCIO, which has listed .gov adoption five years running, claims it was “instrumental” in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s decision to waive the $400 fee to sign up for a .gov domain.
Nevertheless, adoption at the local level is ongoing, as “thousands of local government entities have still not made this important transition, and some don’t even know that it’s an option to improve their cybersecurity defenses.”
DISCOVER: State and local agencies must prepare for unexpected cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Funding and Regulations Remain Top of Mind
Cybersecurity has made NASCIO’s federal advocacy priority list in some form for at least 10 years. This year, NASCIO underscored the importance of responsible implementation of the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and called for greater clarity regarding disparate federal security regulations.
Regarding the former, NASCIO urged Congress to consider the importance of the program for state and local government agencies as a key source of cybersecurity funding. The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program allocates billions of dollars to state, local and tribal governments over a four-year period that lapses at the end of 2025. The funds — which can be used to promote cyber hygiene, whole-of-state cybersecurity and collaboration between jurisdictions — should come with guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and CISA while still offering flexibility for the leaders who best understand their jurisdictions’ unique security requirements, says NASCIO.
NASCIO has also reiterated the need for the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with federal agencies to offer clarity regarding federal cybersecurity requirements. This will make it easier for states to comply with federal regulations as they exchange data with federal agencies.
EXPLORE: How small and rural communities can boost grant funding.
Collaboration Is Key to Addressing Cyber Workforce Shortages
In NASCIO’s 2025 State CIO Top 10 Priorities, respondents listed workforce issues as their third-most important concern.
Infrastructure modernization, cyber resilience and AI implementation all require a strong IT workforce at the state and local levels of government. In 2025, NASCIO will continue to advocate for whole-of-government cybersecurity, collaboration with the federal government to train and retain IT talent, and greater support for worker training and education programs.
NASCIO acknowledged that filling talent gaps will require a comprehensive approach at the state and local levels. For example, some jurisdictions, such as Naples, Fla., augment a small IT staff by relying more heavily on managed service providers to fill talent gaps.
“There is no ‘silver bullet’ or universal solution to solving cyber worker shortages,” NASCIO writes. “Instead, stakeholders should consider a variety of policy proposals and develop them with input from states, the federal agencies and private industry.”
