First Cybersecurity Council meeting set for Tuesday

On Tuesday (Feb. 21), Kit Carson Electric Cooperative will host the inaugural meeting of the newly formed Northern New Mexico Cybersecurity Council, which will include community members and local business owners interested in ensuring the protection of local technology infrastructure and the data that flows through it.

“KCEC wants to develop enduring partnerships between private industry and public sector organizations to ensure that critical infrastructure and sensitive information are protected, develop a cybersecurity workforce to protect technology resources from increasing threats, and develop strategies and solutions to ensure that our northern rural communities continue to lead in areas of cybersecurity.”

Cybersecurity refers to the protection of computer systems and networks from attack or exploitation. These attacks can take place on a national scale, as in the case of the suspected international attack on software company Solar Winds in 2020, or on the local level, as exemplified by the recent security breach at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare early this month.

Local information technology companies, like Kit Carson Electric and TaosNet, offer internet access services for local residents, who utilize those services to surf the web and manage all forms of personal data. The newly-formed council would help bring the minds behind these and other local companies together, along with local residents, to enhance cybersecurity for Northern New Mexico.

The first meeting of the Council is set to take place 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday.