At the last City Council meeting there were three items brought to the table dealing with the city's digital and physical safety.
First was a potential contract with Kaseya for SaaS (Software as a Service) protection on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. The SaaS protection would protect against ransomware or potential internal threats, such as a disgruntled employee destroying information, or so stated in the meeting. Per NC Statute 143-800, local governments are prohibited from paying ransomware. This protection would allow the city to acquire documents and info that may have been lost or disrupted by bad actors. Councilman Mark Johnson made a motion to approve the three year contract. The remaining council members also voted in favor of the protection. The total amount annually paid by the city will be $4,800 for the SaaS protection.
It was time for the renewal of the city’s Google Workspace contract which was also brought as a single and three year contract. This was an expense the city management knew was coming and had set aside funds in the budget to cover the cost. The three year contract was approved with an annual cost of $49,896.
The physical protection put in place was an information security agreement pertaining to infrastructure related information. The City of Lincolnton receives around five to ten requests for information regarding water, sewer, electric, and mapping data per month. This data is typically used for future developments, roadway projects, and infrastructure related community improvements. This information is sensitive in nature due to the effects it could have on amenities such as access to power and water to the community, and, if used nefariously, could have devastating impacts. Adopting this agreement as part of the process to acquire the aforementioned information, would give the city legal recourse if it was to be published publicly or distribute it in an unapproved manner. Also, this gives the city an easier way to keep track of who has infrastructure data about Lincolnton. The council unanimously approved the agreement.
