The State of Texas protects its data with a Defense in Depth cybersecurity strategy

Multi-sourcing Service Integrator (MSI) model creates ease of access to Defense in Depth cybersecurity services through the State of Texas Shared Technology Services program, offering uniform and consistent management of state data security.

For the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), like other state and local governments, IT security is paramount. One of the areas of particular concern is data security – preserving the privacy of citizen data and protecting personally identifiable information.  

One issue the Multi-sourcing Service Integrator (MSI) model solved for the State of Texas was assurance and control over how IT services, including cybersecurity services, are delivered to customers and how those services are consumed. DIR has 80% of the state compute resources and, as a result, it has every version of regulated data. The MSI model supports DIR’s Defense in Depth strategy by layering capabilities from multiple providers to prevent, respond to, and contain breaches when necessary.  

State of Texas is assured with cybersecurity Defense in Depth strategy

While prevention and blocking cyber-attacks is critical, so too is the ability to respond quickly and contain any incident. Those processes and capabilities are factored into the MSI model. As a result, the state agencies no longer need to staff, source, and commit to an infrastructure to protect data assets or manage disaster recovery. Overall, this means agencies do not have to duplicate efforts, but rather tap into readily available shared services that cover all common IT needs, such as data backup, cloud services, and security services. 

The flexibility of the MSI model means DIR has established a culture of customer-focused innovation and taken a strategic leadership position for the state, agencies, and citizens it serves. 

Learn more about the State of Texas story with Capgemini.