It’s Fall in Texas, y’all – football season is back in full swing and it’s a brisk mid 90’s in our neck of the woods. I try not to complain about Texas heat because Mrs. Mc’s sister lives in New England and it’s already cold up there. I find that to be a nice reminder that maybe the beatdown we all take in the summer is worth the nice temps we see in other seasons. I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve been taking another kind of beatdown recently. Anyone else getting hit with ridiculous and uncommunicated renewal costs? I’m sure you are, and it’s wildly frustrating. I’m not certain if this month’s message is going to be a rant or a call to action, so let’s see where this goes. 😊

By Chris Lee, TAGITM Past President

For over a decade, Scott Joyce has been a cornerstone of the TAGITM organization, providing invaluable leadership and guidance. His dedication has left a lasting impact, and he has consistently represented TAGITM with the highest levels of professionalism and integrity.

Scott took on one of his most challenging roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when many of us were navigating uncharted territory and invoking force majeure clauses for the first time. His leadership was critical when TAGITM faced difficult decisions that could have jeopardized the organization's financial stability. Thanks to Scott’s foresight and steady hand, we emerged from this period stronger.

By Mike Rodriguez, IT Manager, City of Webster, TX

Imagine sitting down with your morning coffee and you start getting multiple requests from users stating their account is locked out and need it unlocked. Once the account is unlocked, it would lock again within minutes. "Why is this happening?!?" you might ask yourself. You reach out to your cybersecurity team and your worse fear becomes a reality: You’ve been compromised.

This was my reality a few months back. The feeling of my heart dropping when I heard the news; the thoughts racing in my head of how it happened, what is the fall out, how to stop it and how to prevent it in the future elevated my heart rate and added to an already busy and stressful day. After it was all said and done, we discovered that it was a brute force attack that was attacking our network. But why us? I mean we are a small 7 square mile suburb of Houston. Turns out, no matter the size of your city’s population, square miles, or social make up, you are a target.

📣 Don't miss out! Join us at the upcoming Regional Summit in Grand Prairie on November 14. It’s the perfect opportunity to network, gain insights, and connect with peers from across the region.  

🚫 Can’t make it to Grand Prairie? No problem! Mark your calendars — the next Regional Summit will be held in The Woodlands on February 5, 2024. 

🔍 Looking Ahead: Annual Conference Planning is Underway!

The Education Committee is gearing up for the Annual Conference preparations, and we’ll need your input! Keep an eye out for upcoming surveys and calls for presentations.  Your feedback and ideas will help shape an incredible event!

Stay tuned for more updates, and we look forward to seeing you at one of the summits! 📅

Government Technology
Some states are pulling back the curtain on their use of artificial intelligence in government, creating public inventories showing which agencies use AI, the types of systems and their potential impact on citizens.

ITPro
Malicious QR codes hidden in email attachments may be missed by traditional email security scanners, with over 500,000 qishing attacks launched in the last three months.

StateTech
Smart technologies have the potential to make cities more sustainable, efficient and secure, but maximizing their potential requires an IT and operational technology convergence that has historically been nonexistent.

CIO
Early adopters of gen AI typically used ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and similar SaaS tools that cost money but didn't create infrastructure challenges. As companies scale up, however, those challenges are beginning to emerge.

KPMG
Governments and public sector organizations are making good progress on their digital transformation journeys. Now they need to pick up the pace and start delivering the value that citizens expect. This report explains how to help make that happen.

StateScoop
Between AI-powered cyberattacks and major service outages, marketing taglines about sophisticated adversaries have never been truer.