Zetron Awarded Cybersecurity Services Contract for Kansas Counties

Article originally posted on the Zetron website.

Federal grants will support county assessments and roadmaps to enhance the overall cybersecurity of Kansas-based computer and radio telecommunications systems

Redmond, WA – March 14, 2023 – Zetron, a global leader in integrated mission critical communications technology, announced today that the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) of Kansas (USA) has awarded Zetron a contract to provide cyber resilience assessments and roadmaps for the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) of 34 counties across the state. This opportunity was funded by the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Kansas Highway Patrol’s Homeland Security/Emergency Operations unit applies for and administers the HSGP funding to awarded subrecipients, such as the NCRPC, as fiscal agent to 6 of the 7 Homeland Security regions in the state of Kansas.

State and local governments – including police, fire departments and other public safety agencies – are increasingly falling victim to cybersecurity attacks. The public sector had the second most cybersecurity incidents and fourth most breaches of all major industries last year according to the Verizon 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). Perhaps even more troubling for public safety, a 2021 Fastly report found that 45% of cybersecurity alerts are false positives, which are often difficult to discern from legitimate threats and malicious behavior. So precious time is wasted in emergency response operations where every second counts.

“Unfortunately, the threat, frequency and cost of cyber attacks on regional public safety organizations grows every year,” said Lisa Peters, Homeland Security Coordinator at the NCRPC. “The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) provides federal funding opportunities enabling us to work with Zetron at the county level to identify and assess the seriousness of any identified vulnerabilities, as well as develop specific plans to improve the cybersecurity posture and infrastructure of our critical public safety agencies.”

Zetron, with cybersecurity partner SecuLore Solutions, and local services partners, will complete cybersecurity assessments and roadmaps for 34 selected counties across Kansas, ranging in population from over 600,000 to less than 1,300 people. Assessments for each county will identify threats and provide prioritized, actionable recommendations to remediate vulnerabilities and improve the cybersecurity risk posture of counties.