Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has called for approximately $74 million to help improve the state’s cybersecurity systems, in part because of the age of a number of computer systems still in use.
Minnesota, like many states and federal agencies, rely on technologies that are more than 30 years old. This reliance on legacy systems is not only expensive – when something breaks, the state or agency usually must bring in an expert to fix – but also harder to secure.
The state’s computers house the private data of 5.5 million Minnesotans and connect every city and county in the state. Administration officials say a major cyberattack could jeopardize public safety and cause significant disruption.
“We can’t be wrong once,” Minnesota IT Commissioner Thomas Baden said. “Thirty-five thousand users. All the cities, all the state, 35 end points. We can’t be wrong once.”
This reliance on legacy systems is all too common. Last year, then U.S. CIO Tony Scott said that legacy systems gobble up about 80 percent of the more than $80 billion federal IT budget. That’s an astounding number that Scott, before he left office, tried to begin to correct, and a number that the Trump administration must take seriously.
For state’s like Minnesota, the steps to change can be long and expensive. As Baden said, cybersecurity remains a top priority as state’s cannot allow citizen information to get stolen. States must leverage cybersecurity solutions that can help better protect citizen information.
There have been great advances in cloud security, so moving to a cloud computing environment carries minimal risk, but the rewards can be huge in terms of modernization and cost savings. Following the federal government’s focus on “cloud first,” states can benefit greatly from migrating to the cloud to help eliminate the reliance on this legacy infrastructure. The longer states rely on legacy systems, the longer these challenges will exist.
Kudos to Minnesota for identifying the need for improved cybersecurity and a strong desire to keep information safe. That is the most important thing. Minnesota is not alone in facing these challenges, or in their desire to counteract the effects of the legacy sprawl. Taking a proactive stance on cybersecurity and actually doing something about legacy technology should be a model for all states.
For governments that find themselves in a similar situation it is time to act. Legacy systems will only continue to grow older. We’ve seen a tipping point in technology in recent years, making it easier than ever before to bring in new systems through the cloud that are not only cheaper, but more effective. With the right cyber tools, governments can confidently take advantage of these platforms – and the benefits in which they provide – to drive greater efficiencies.
Visit this webpage for more information on how cloud security can drive positive results for your agency’s operations.