Missouri’s governor says the Office of Administration will use a recently awarded grant to bolster the state’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity.
Governor Jay Nixon announced the grant at the State Emergency Management Agency’s 28th Annual Missouri Emergency Management Conference in Branson.
In a news release, Governor Jay Nixon says the $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be used to host a Cybersecurity Summit and to engage with stakeholders.
According to Nixon, while it has “brought unprecedented convenience,” technology has also resulted in “new and ever-changing threats to our data and personal information.”
The grant will be used to share information about current and emerging threats, industry best practices and tools proven most effective in detecting and defending against cyber threats.
It will also focus on hardening critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid and on incident response.
Missouri has been working for some time to strengthen cybersecurity. In 2015, the Office of Administration’s Information Technology Services Division was honored with the “Overall Excellence in Cybersecurity Award” in Washington, D.C.
When it becomes available, information about the summit can be found at cybersecurity.mo.gov.
