Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today announced new grant funding through CyberOhio to provide cybersecurity software and services to local governments to strengthen their preparedness and resilience.
A total of $7 million is now available as part of Ohio’s new CyberOhio local government grant program.
“Today, we are taking another important step to protect our local government partners from cyber threats from around the world,” said Governor DeWine. “These threats are constantly changing, and we must help Ohio stay ahead of the curve.”
“Technology is permeating nearly every government service to better serve customers and save money, but it also means we must protect those services from bad actors,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “It’s critical that our local government partners across Ohio have the resources they need to protect their citizens and demonstrate to businesses across the country that Ohio is a safe and secure environment in which to do business.”
Eligible security software and services include, but are not limited to, endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, secure email, vulnerability management, migration to .gov internet domains, and cybersecurity services from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Center for Internet Security. Applications will open on July 22, 2024, and local governments should apply by visiting cyberohio.gov.
“This grant is another tool in our collective defense toolbox,” said Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor Kirk Herath. “The cybersecurity of our local government partners is key to protecting Ohio. This grant will help our partners anticipate attacks and respond quickly to protect critical government systems and citizen data.”
CyberOhio developed the grant program in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Deputy Chief of Staff, Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Ohio Department of Higher Education, local governments, public sector partners and cybersecurity experts.
Governor DeWine created CyberOhio during his term as Ohio Attorney General. The program coordinates and guides cybersecurity efforts across all Ohio government agencies. CyberOhio streamlines and leads collaboration with other state agencies and divisions, counties, local governments, academic institutions, and critical infrastructure partners to protect information technology infrastructure and data across various sectors in Ohio.
The $7 million cybersecurity software grants are funded by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grants Program (SLCGP).
