Elected officials in Palo Alto, California, on Monday night voted to adopt the recommendations of an audit of the city’s cybersecurity and risk-management practices, particularly regarding its disaster recovery planning and database management.
The vote by the Palo Alto City Council followed the Sept. 30 publication of the audit, which found that while the Silicon Valley community is capable of mitigating cybersecurity risks on a day-to-day basis, its Information Technology Department lacks both formalized risk management practices and a documented disaster recovery plan in the event of a major cyber incident such as a ransomware attack.
“The City of Palo Alto’s Information Technology Department exists ‘to provide innovative technology solutions that support City departments in delivering quality services to the community’ according to their mission statement,” reads the audit, which was prepared by Baker Tilly, a nationwide accounting firm that’s serving as the city’s auditor. “These services support transportation, utilities,…
