Alaska CISO Shannon Lawson says the state is now preparing to make an unprecedented investment in cybersecurity tools from a variety of vendors.

The biggest realignment in state leadership since 2010 means changes are coming for many chief information officers and the agencies they lead.

With 36 states electing governors, there could be major upheaval ahead for chief information officers and the strategic plans they oversee.

Bill Vajda, the first Alaskan technology official granted the governor's authority to lead an IT consolidation, has departed state government after less than 18 months in the role.

The new 13-member body is charged with advising the legislative and executive branches as the state upgrades to the next generation of technology.

An IP address associated with a top Beijing University that's been linked to previous geopolitical hacking efforts scanned Alaska's state government and telecom firms, though no breaches were detected.

The state's chief information officer says a recent tour of the region's new internet infrastructure revealed burgeoning opportunities for a once disconnected people.

With help from nonprofit EducationSuperHighway, Alaska will conduct research and explore partnerships to help bring high-speed internet to 59,000 under-connected students in the state.

The state would become the sixth in recent weeks to adopt formal rules encouraging internet service providers to abide by content access principles no longer enforced by the federal government.

Though not entirely ready, he says the timing is right to return to the private sector.