MONTICELLO — In a significant milestone for regional cybersecurity preparedness, Sullivan County proudly announces its pioneering role as the first county in New York State to “go live” with the New York State Security Operations Center (NYSSOC).

“This achievement marks a pivotal moment in bolstering the County and State’s cyber defense infrastructure and underscores Sullivan County’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens and digital assets,” notes Sullivan County Manager Joshua Potosek. “I’m grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and her team for making this a collaborative priority.”

NYSSOC is the nation’s first-of-its-kind cyber command center, intended to provide a Statewide view of the cyber-threat landscape and improve coordination on threat intelligence and incident responses. Housed in a cutting-edge facility in Brooklyn, NYSSOC is dedicated to monitoring, detecting, and responding to cybersecurity threats 24/7/365.

“With the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyber-attacks targeting public and private sectors alike, NYSSOC plays a vital role in ensuring the resilience of critical systems and networks across the State, including Sullivan County,” explains Lorne Green, commissioner of Sullivan’s Information Technology Services (ITS) Division and Chief Information Officer. “In Sullivan alone, we face close to a billion cyber events every month.”

By collaborating with partners through NYSSOC to leverage real-time threat intelligence, analyze traffic and develop response strategies, Sullivan County is positioned to mitigate risks and swiftly respond to emerging cyber threats.

“I am immensely proud of my staff’s dedication to this effort, and we are privileged to be at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation,” Green affirms. “This achievement underscores our commitment to the safety and security of our residents, businesses and critical infrastructure. By collaborating with State and local partners, as well as the private sector, we are enhancing our collective resilience against ever-evolving cyber threats.”

“This is a testament to Sullivan County’s ongoing desire to innovate in ways that benefit and protect our employees and taxpayers,” notes District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips, chair of the Legislature’s Management & Budget Committee, to which ITS reports. “We may be smaller in population and resources than some of our fellow counties, but we’re ahead of them all in several areas, including maintaining extraordinary vigilance over our sensitive data.”