Cybersecurity tops priority list for US state CIOs

Cybersecurity will remain the top priority for US state CIOs for the seventh year running in 2020, a new survey shows.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) annual State CIO Top 10 for 2020 shows that cybersecurity and risk management remain on top of the agenda.

Areas of focus will include governance, budget and resource requirements, security frameworks, data protection, training and awareness, and third-party risk.

Meanwhile, “innovation and transformation through technology” made it into the top 10 list for the first time at number 10, and legacy system modernisation made the list for the first time since 2017 at number 7.

After cybersecurity, the top five priorities are digital government, cloud services, consolidation and optimisation, and customer relationship management.

Rounding out the list are budget, cost control and fiscal management (6th), data management and analytics (8th), and broadband and wireless connectivity (9th).

“It is not surprising that cybersecurity remains number one nor that cloud, optimisation and digital government round out the top spots,” said NASCIO President and Secretary and Chief Information Officer for the State of North Carolina Eric Boyette.

“State CIOs are constantly trying to protect their states while at the same time enable delivery of critical services for the citizens they serve.”

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