The Senate's latest pandemic relief proposal contains no assistance for states and cities, though officials are hoping that changes in negotiations.

News concerns around security, compliance, data-ownership and access are increasingly relevant as staff work remotely during the pandemic, a lawyer told the National Association of Counties' online conference.

Small local governments' vulnerability to cyberattacks threatens their ability to administer the upcoming election, county officials were warned.

Local governments have been able to use some federal relief funds for IT, but much more is needed, county leaders said during a conference call with reporters.

Continued investment in technology is nearly as important as supplying medical masks and other personal protective equipment, officials from cash-strapped counties said on a phone briefing.

Two former CIOs stressed emergency planning and collaboration that starts in the executive office to county-government leaders worried about cyberattacks.

Speakers at a conference for county officials ran down numerous technical details worth noting, but the human element, they said, preceded most of them.

At a National Association of Counties conference, IT leaders shared the benefits and challenges of municipally owned fiberoptic networks.

Speakers at a county leaders conference also urged IT officials to find people in their own organizations who are equally serious about cybersecurity.