CitySmart by VC3

This curated content is from VC3's blog and shares non-technical, municipal-relevant insights about critical technology issues, focusing on how technology reduces costs, helps better serve citizens, and lessens cybersecurity risks. VC3 is solely responsible for the article’s content.

Displaying Items 1-15 (of 80)

How Much Is Your Aging Technology Costing You?

CitySmart by VC3

July 28, 2023

VC3

After many cities modernize their technology, they end up asking, “Why did we wait so long?” The financial and productivity ripple effects are often so immediate and startling that it's like getting a positive boost of energy and morale.

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10 Important Ransomware Stats and What They Mean for Municipalities

CitySmart by VC3

April 26, 2023

VC3

Like peanut butter and chocolate, municipalities and ransomware continue to go together. In just the last year or so, high-profile ransomware attacks took place at the City of Oakland, California; City of Quincy, Illinois; Somerset County, New Jersey; Suffolk County, New York; and City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

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How Should Municipalities Approach Archiving Social Media Content?

CitySmart by VC3

September 7, 2022

Kevin Howarth, Communications Manager, VC3

City clerks are the record keepers of their municipalities, but what does that mean for social media content? Are you responsible for maintaining an archive of every post created by your municipality?

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The Importance of Employee Security Awareness Training

CitySmart by VC3

August 11, 2022

Katherina Yavela, Director of Marketing, CW Technology

When it comes to securing your company’s network, you must think beyond technology. Relying on firewalls, antivirus software, and secure remote connections is simply not enough anymore.

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How to Best Leverage Your Municipality’s Social Media Accounts

CitySmart by VC3

April 18, 2022

Miranda Hampton, Marketing Coordinator, VC3

Whether you haven’t posted to your municipality’s page in a few years or are looking to improve your social media process that’s already in place, these tactics can help you make the best use of your social media accounts. 

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Are Data Backups and Data Archiving the Same? No—and You Need Both!

CitySmart by VC3

March 22, 2022

Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer, Sophicity

For electronic data, you need both backups and archives because they serve two different purposes.

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Cities May Use ARP Funds for Cybersecurity, IT Services, and Websites

CitySmart by VC3

January 31, 2022

Kevin Howarth, Marketing and Communications Manager, VC3

The U.S Treasury Department’s final rule on ARP funds made it easier for cities to use recovery funds for government services, to include modernization of cybersecurity, including hardware, software, and protection of critical infrastructure.

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You Say You Want Data Backup, But Do You Really Mean It?

CitySmart by VC3

December 20, 2021

David Donovan, CTO, VC3

It’s rare when a municipality flat out shows a complete lack of interest in backing up their data. The problem we see is when towns and cities know they need to follow specific best practices related to data backup and yet…they balk at the investment it requires, no matter how small.

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5 Areas Where Information Technology Can Improve Compliance

CitySmart by VC3

November 15, 2021

Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer, Sophicity

Compliance. One of those necessary operational activities that you know is working when nothing bad happens. When compliance doesn’t work, however, you open the door to significant risk.

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The Biggest Hidden Red Flags in a Phishing Email

CitySmart by VC3

October 25, 2021

Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer, Sophicity

As spammers and scammers get better at their jobs, their techniques grow more sophisticated. Here are five hidden red flags that could fool you if you’re not skeptical enough.

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5 Ways to Begin a Zero Trust Approach to Cybersecurity

CitySmart by VC3

September 13, 2021

Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer, Sophicity

Cybersecurity is evolving toward the point where we cannot rely alone on traditional cybersecurity tools such as firewalls, antivirus, and VPNs. In other words, we cannot assume that anything making it past a perimeter into your network is good. 

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Make Your Website ADA-Compliant: Best Practices for Cities

CitySmart by VC3

August 16, 2021

Victoria Boyko, Software Development Consultant

Despite the perceived importance of ADA-compliant websites, many city websites do not comply with best practices that help disabled people access content.

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Don’t Get Held Hostage: Keeping Control Over Your Data

CitySmart by VC3

July 6, 2021

John Hey, Director of Operations, VC3

Data access and authorization is one of the most important aspects of your IT strategy, and you need to make sure another vendor doesn’t hold your data hostage.

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5 Startling Reasons Why We Won’t Miss Pandemic Videoconferencing

CitySmart by VC3

June 7, 2021

Kevin Howarth, Marketing and Communications Manager, VC3

We know videoconferencing exhausted us in weird ways. But why? Science has some answers, and the answers may surprise you.

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The Cavalry Isn’t Coming: 5 Ways Towns and Cities Can Solve Their Own Cybersecurity Problems

CitySmart by VC3

May 10, 2021

VC3

What can your town or city do instead of waiting for the cavalry? Here are a few “do it yourself” cybersecurity best practices that can help you prevent ransomware and cyberattacks while keeping your costs and resource utilization low.

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Displaying Items 1-15 (of 80)