SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday, signed into law Senate Bill 280 — the Cybersecurity Act – The Act establishes a Cybersecurity Office which will oversee cybersecurity, and information security related functions across the state Information Technology (IT) ecosystem. The Act also establishes a cybersecurity advisory committee which is charged with identifying and recommending cybersecurity best practices for all state government entities, educational institutions, and tribal governments. The Cybersecurity Office, working in conjunction with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), will implement cybersecurity solutions for state agencies, and offer solutions to other public sector entities.
“Managing and protecting a robust and secure network infrastructure is extremely important as potential attacks from cyber criminals grow exponentially,” said DoIT Cabinet Secretary Designate and Cybersecurity Planning Committee Chair Peter Mantos. “DoIT in cooperation with the new Cybersecurity Office will diligently continue its work to strengthen state information technology networks and to protect sensitive information of the state and its citizens.”
The Cybersecurity Office will adopt and implement new rules establishing minimum security standards and policies to protect agency information technology systems and infrastructure and to provide appropriate guidance for all administrators and users of state information technology resources.
New Mexico’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Raja Sambandam will lead the new office. He and his team are already collaborating with state agency CISOs and Chief Information Officers (CIO). During a cybersecurity forum on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, Sambandam explained the importance of Cybersecurity Act and the necessity for these partnerships.
“We are working to protect the personal information of every New Mexican who does business with the state. We want to assure state agencies are confident in protecting citizen data from malicious intent,” said Sambandam. “In meeting with the state CISOs it is apparent they are eager collaborators who will continue to maintain and improve the state’s cyber posture.”
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