TAGITM,

As you read this, CyberSecurity Month will have just closed or will close in the next couple of days.  It’s always a good month to capitalize on and take the opportunity remind your users of best practices.  It’s especially great right before Cyber Monday, which kicks off the holidays with more than usual online browsing and shopping happening on work computers and networks.  Here’s to hoping your users heed their training and your warnings!

I think I said last month how much I love the fall.  I am gonna remind you again here.  The World Series, College Football crunch time, Hockey Season is back, College Basketball starts to amp up and Hunting Season is here.  As a really special treat this year, the World Cup is happening in Qatar and runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.  For me, Soccer really is the Beautiful Sport and I can’t wait to see this year’s version of the World Cup.  Then the Holidays come around.  It truly is the best time of the year for me. 

My prayer for each of you this Holiday Season is that you are already scheduling the necessary time off around the Holidays to spend it with your loved ones and unplug from work whenever and wherever possible.  I realize many of us never, or rarely, truly unplug.  It’s just so hard to do, but it’s needed for all of us!  As IT professionals, it is kind of expected that we stay connected, even when we aren’t at work, and I get it.  I have been guilty for years.  However, I have turned the corner on that practice, and I encourage you to do so as well.  If you are in Management, encourage your team to utilize that vacation they earned.  Find ways to develop other leaders who can step in and be in charge of an area when someone else is off.  Fiercely protect your time off and that of your team.  

In today’s always connected world, taking time to recharge is an important skill for an IT Professional.  I think you will find it helps with morale, retention and overall productivity in the long run. Take time for you and your loved ones and create a culture where your team can do the same, especially around the upcoming Holidays. 

Tony Gonzalez,

TAGITM President

Tripwire
Seguin, Texas used to be the smallest city in Texas to have a full-time cybersecurity employee. Now they are the only government entity to be named in the CSO50 2022 Awards.

Express News
As local governments continue to face increasing cyberattacks, the city of San Antonio has announced the official launch of its $4.2 million Alamo Regional Security Operations Center at Port San Antonio.

Community Impact
A collaboration between the city of San Antonio and CPS Energy, the newly opened Alamo Regional Security Operations Center is designed to help protect local governments and utilities from hackers and other cyber threats.

Google Public Sector
Join the Google Government Summit to learn how technology is helping government leaders achieve mission outcomes and unleash human potential. Attend in-person or register to watch the livestream.

GovLoop
Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act has helped to boost states modernizing data infrastructure for the public good.

Invensis
The body is programmed to handle a certain amount of stress every day, and when an employee exceeds that limit, they tend to feel exhausted and emotionally drained. Taking time off helps the body bounce back from work pressure and recover from chronic stress.

As many of you may know I have been the TML Affiliate representative for TAGITM on the TML board for the past year and a half. My responsibilities for that board and TAG were to monitor legislation that could help or hurt local government, especially in the technology arena. My last responsibility before turning this honor over to Scott Joyce for the next two years was to attend the TML conference and final board meeting. Prior to this, I had never attended the TML conference because I felt I could get more out of other conferences available to me. The TML conference now has a significant amount of technology break out sessions that were very informative and beneficial to me and my plan is to return next year. I wanted to share this with the organization and encourage you to look at this conference agenda next year and possibly attend based on the breakout sessions that are assembled.

I appreciate the TAGITM membership having the faith in me to represent them on the TML board, and I hope to see you at next year’s conference.

-Sid Hudson