When you think of U.S. states exhibiting cybersecurity leadership, which ones come to mind? For me, I’d place Maryland at the top of the list, followed by California, Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, and a few others. In my view, those states exhibit good efforts around cybersecurity innovation and public/private partnerships.
Now, if you pinned me down and asked me to continue my list, I’m not sure where I’d place North Dakota, a state with a population of 755,000. Until recently, I had no knowledge or opinion on the state’s cybersecurity position whatsoever. That changed when someone from the office of the CIO in North Dakota read one of my blog posts about the cybersecurity skills shortage and reached out to fill me in on the state’s cybersecurity efforts. As it turns out, North Dakota is doing quite a bit.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Bergum makes cybersecurity a priority
As my research has often indicated, a strong cybersecurity culture starts at the top with an active executive. In North Dakota, this responsibility falls to its governor, Doug Burgum. Gov. Burgum gets technology, as he is the former CEO of Great Plains Software, a mid-market ERP provider that…
