New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed new legislation that will incentivize public school STEM teachers to participate in an existing grant program, as well as ensure that nonpublic school students have access to STEM education.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced on Nov. 22 the release of a new update on the agency’s Infrastructure Resilience Planning Framework (IRPF) which helps state, local, tribal, and territorial planners protect technological infrastructure.

The San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) in California is now using Specialized Police Intelligence and Data Resource (SPIDR) Tech to help better communicate with the public.

The City of Long Beach, Calif., is launching a new Smart City Initiative – called the Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab) – with a goal to “engage residents with civic technology design and equip them with technology skills to thrive in our ‘smart’ economy.”

As state and local governments continue to modernize, many are making the switch to codeless service management platforms that can integrate with automation tools like iPaaS. Not only do these types of tools offer great flexibility, but they also often have a lower total cost of ownership. Here are two stories from local governments who recently made the switch.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Jen Easterly, on Nov. 7, announced that CYBER.ORG Range – a no-cost, safe, virtual environment for K-12 students to learn cybersecurity skills – will be expanded to students nationwide.

Pennsylvania has inked a $3 million contract that will bring new digital mental health services to school districts statewide.

State and local government CIOs and private sector experts made the message easy to understand at ATARC’s Nov. 1 webinar on Building for Secure MultiCloud Environments within State and Local Agencies: get moving on it now.

As part of the state’s push to expand broadband access, the Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) is encouraging residents to take the Indiana Speed Test before the end of the year to ensure accurate broadband mapping data.

IT leaders struggle to find enough resources to meet demand, meanwhile, highly qualified technicians are spending 2-3 months a year on manual tasks that can be automated.  Anyone working the helpdesk in IT can tell you they spend a lot of time handling requests for things like password resets, name changes, onboarding, and other common IT ticket requests.