Government Technology

    Digital Communities
    Industry Members

  • Click sponsor logos for whitepapers, case studies, and best practices.
  • McAfee

Phoenix Launches Security and Privacy Website for the Public



Phoenix, Ariz.
Phoenix, Arizona

Keys to the Front Door

August 8, 2012 By

The city of Phoenix, Ariz., today announced an information security and privacy website created and administered by the city IT’s Information Security and Privacy Office (ISPO) for use by the public.

According to Phoenix Public Information Officer Margaret Shalley, the city launched the website as part of its public safety mission. “You think of fire and police when you think of public safety,” she said, “but protection against cyber threats and cyber crime is also a public safety issue.” Shalley said that the ISPO was not necessarily responding to a specific threat, but was being proactive to help the public as information technology becomes more important to the public, and as the city enhances Web-enabled services for residents.

Passwords, for example, are the keys to the front door. They are supposed to be a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that will be difficult to crack, they should be different for every site one visits, and should be changed often. And, ironically, they should also be easy to remember -- easier said than done. In the absence of some way to manage passwords, said Shalley, people will put them on sticky notes and hide them under their keyboards. The site contains some simple advice about passwords, a link to a password strength tester -- the site advises using a made-up password with the same format as the real one in case someone could record it – and a link to a free piece of software that helps manage multiple passwords.

The site has many other useful bits of information on securing mobile devices, advice for business owners, legal requirements for protecting sensitive data, basic computer safeguards and more.

“In today’s computerized world, it is more important than ever for people to protect themselves, their families, and their businesses from emerging cyber threats,” said Councilman Michael Nowakowski in a release. “We are proud to provide this new website as a public safety resource for our residents.”


| More

Comments

Add Your Comment

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

In Our Library

White Papers | Exclusives Reports | Webinar Archives | Best Practices and Case Studies
Are You Sure You Are Maximizing the Value of Your Microsoft SharePoint Investment?
The Microsoft SharePoint platform provides a wealth of opportunities for any organization to streamline business processes and expand knowledge sharing; however most government organizations struggle to take advantage of these opportunities.
Hurricane Preparedness
Make sure you are prepared for hurricane season before it is here. Join in this Digital Communities teleconference and gain insight on how to prepare from experts who have been on the ground during major hurricanes.
Government-to-Government IT Services: What Works and What's Left to Work Out
This paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
View All


Featured White Papers & Reports

Government-to-Government IT Services: What Works and What's Left to Work Out

This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.


View Full Library

Events

GTC East

Don't miss this opportunity to see the latest in digital government solutions, keep abreast of current policy issues and network with key government executives, technologists and industry specialists.

View All Events