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Help Net Security
December 29, 2023
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TECH UPGRADES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE A NECESSITY, NOT A LUXURY



Public safety professionals want technology upgrades and adoption of federal
standards for first responder IT security, reporting and efficiency, according
to Mark43.



“We heard a resounding response from first responders across the country: They
are concerned about their public safety agency’s ability to withstand
cyberattacks and natural disasters, given the ever-increasing number and
severity of bad actors attacking public infrastructure as well as the uptick in
extreme weather incidents,” said Matthew Polega, President, Mark43.

“Public safety professionals made it clear that they need access to modernized
systems — like cloud-native CAD and RMS — to improve the security and resilience
of their agencies, so they can respond faster to community members in need. Our
2024 report shows that technology plays a central role in everything a public
safety agency does,” added Polega.


FIRST RESPONDERS FACE GROWING CONCERNS AMIDST CYBERSECURITY SURGE

The ever-increasing number, severity and cost of cyberattacks is reflected in
the concerns and experiences of first responders. 82% worry that their
organization’s data could be stolen or fall victim to ransomware, a 6% increase
over the 2023 survey, showing a need for enhanced security like cloud-based
computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS).

91% of first responders have experienced cybersecurity-related issues in the
past year like phishing, scam calls and malware attacks. Scam calls and
malware/viruses are now the leading cybersecurity concern for first responders,
overtaking phishing from last year’s survey.

92% of first responders also are somewhat or very concerned about how their
agencies would handle a tactical response to cyberattacks or physical attacks at
large-scale events like sports games, concerts and conventions.


NATURAL DISASTERS, GRID FAILURES RAISE ALARMS

The vast majority of first responders are also very concerned about the impact
of natural disasters and power grid failures on their agencies, with 84%
reporting that such events can overwhelm public safety agencies and impact the
service they deliver to their community.

Alarmingly, 96% would be somewhat or very concerned if on-site mission-critical
servers that are used in on-premises systems were in a location in the path of a
hurricane or other major weather event.

67% of first responders have experienced dispatch outages, and 88% have
experienced other IT malfunctions. 84% of first responders using computer-aided
dispatch (CAD) systems have experienced a CAD outage that impacted response
times, including over a 35% who experience CAD outages six to 10 times per year.

75% of first responders reported that inefficient IT systems cause outages,
delays and other malfunctions. This is an increase of 8% over a similar survey
last year. Seconds matter in emergency response and can impact lifesaving
services for those in need.

First responders also lay out solutions for the cybersecurity, disaster recovery
and dispatch outage concerns and problems they report, including their top
three: more accurate reporting (52%), increased efficiency (51%) and increased
data security (51%), all of which are easily attainable with modern cloud-native
systems.

93% believe the general public would feel better if their local public safety
agencies were required to adhere to federal cybersecurity standards, like
FedRAMP, which mandates a premier and standardized approach to security and risk
assessment for cloud technologies.


PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES SCALE UP DATA COLLECTION AMID TECH BOOM

Driven by new technology and increases in federal, state, and local compliance
requirements, public safety agencies have been collecting more data of varying
types in recent years. Capturing, analyzing, and disseminating this data in
thoughtful ways is essential to building and maintaining community trust and
advancing public safety goals. However, determining how to effectively share
this data can be challenging.

In 2024 leading agencies will develop ways to break down information silos and
coordinate their systems and data to inform decision-making and effective crime
fighting. These efforts will include:

 * Building trust through data transparency efforts.
 * Using modern technology to enable data and system interoperability.

“As we approach 2024, first responders expect public safety agencies to use
modern technology solutions that are resilient and reliable so they can focus on
keeping their communities safe,” Polega said. “In 2024, we will see leading
public safety agencies prioritize security and resilience to support critical
decision-making, better allocate resources, and ultimately, serve their
communities even more effectively.”

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of mobile applications by
public safety agencies. Technology advances have made it easier to take first
responders’ workflows off laptops and mobile data terminals (MDT) and onto their
mobile devices. As a result, the ability of first responders to use handheld
devices is becoming less of an added benefit for agencies and rather a
necessity.

The current generation of incoming first responders are digital natives who grew
up with technology and are accustomed to using their mobile devices as their
primary way of interacting with the world. Public safety agencies are entering a
time when the new generation of members coming on to the job interact with
technology in a fundamentally different way than those who came before them.





More about
 * cybersecurity
 * data
 * digital transformation
 * Mark43
 * report
 * survey

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