US cities offered new cybersecurity support

The National League of Cities (NLC) and CyberAlliance have launched an initiative to help US municipalities assess cyber risks, strengthen governance and prioritise security spending.

Participating cities, towns and villages will receive access to workshops, executive briefings, benchmarking tools and AI-supported guidance. The programme is aimed partly at smaller municipalities that lack dedicated cybersecurity staff.

“Most cities don’t need another dashboard,” said Kendrall Felder, Co-founder and CEO of CyberAlliance. “They need clarity. Our goal is to help municipal leaders understand their cyber risk in plain language so they can make confident decisions before a crisis occurs.”

The National Municipal Cyber Resilience Initiative comes as local governments expand digital infrastructure, introduce artificial intelligence and move more public services online. At the same time, they face growing cyber threats and pressure from insurers, regulators and governing boards to demonstrate that systems are adequately protected.

CyberAlliance, an NLC Enterprise Partner, will provide resources intended to help municipalities identify their most significant vulnerabilities, decide which issues to address first and assess whether cybersecurity budgets are being spent effectively.

The programme will use Sally AI, CyberAlliance’s cyber intelligence platform, to convert technical cybersecurity findings into recommendations for municipal executives and elected officials. The company said the platform could support decisions on investment priorities, budgets and cyber insurance.

“Our NLC members always tell us they need practical guidance, not more complexity when it comes to protecting critical systems,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of NLC. “Our partnership with CyberAlliance is about providing local governments with the knowledge and resources that local leaders need to make informed decisions that create strong, resilient essential public services.”

The initiative will begin with a national benchmarking campaign and educational series. Municipalities will be able to compare their cybersecurity arrangements with those of peer communities and identify areas for improvement.

CyberAlliance said the programme would operate alongside existing cybersecurity frameworks and technologies rather than require municipalities to replace their current systems.

The initiative is scheduled to run throughout the coming year. NLC has invited municipalities to register their interest through its website.

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