Getting Creative: How States Are Improving Security with Fewer Resources and What We Can Learn from

Getting Creative: How States Are Improving Security with Fewer Resources and What We Can Learn from by Rex Wilson, Allan Liska State and local governments are facing one of the hardest problems in cybersecurity today: defending expansive, highly visible infrastructure while remaining transparent, accessible, and accountable to the public—all with shrinking budgets and fewer federal grants. In this session, Rex Wilson of Cyber Florida sits down with Allan Liska, the “Ransomware Sommelier” from Recorded Future, to explore how states across the U.S. are responding to this challenge with creativity rather than cash. Drawing from real-world examples, the discussion will highlight how states are rethinking shared services, centralization, partnerships, workforce development, and threat intelligence to improve security outcomes without increasing spend. The conversation will also connect the dots between public-sector innovation and private-sector application, showing how the constraints states operate under often mirror those faced by small and mid-sized organizations. Attendees will leave with practical ideas, strategic frameworks, and a renewed appreciation for creativity as a core cybersecurity skill— not just a “nice to have.” Description / Session Overview Cybersecurity conversations often assume unlimited tooling, headcount, and budget. State governments rarely have any of those. Instead, states are being forced to innovate—centralizing security operations, sharing resources across agencies, partnering with universities and the private sector, and prioritizing intelligence-led decision-making. These approaches are not only improving public-sector security posture, but also offering a blueprint for organizations facing similar constraints. This session blends threat intelligence insight with policy and program-level perspective to examine: • How ransomware and nation-state threats are impacting state governments differently than private enterprises • Why transparency requirements fundamentally change security strategy • What “creative security” looks like in practice when buying another tool isn’t an option • How lessons from state-level initiatives can directly apply to private-sector security teams Rather than a traditional slide-heavy talk, this session is designed as a candid, story-driven discussion grounded in real examples and hard-earned lessons. Key Topics Covered • The evolving ransomware and threat landscape targeting state and local governments • Budget constraints, grant reductions, and their impact on security strategy • Centralized security models and shared services at the state level • Public-private partnerships and nontraditional collaboration • Intelligence-driven prioritization when resources are limited • Translating public-sector solutions to private-sector environments Takeaways / What Attendees Will Learn Attendees will leave with: • A clearer understanding of how states are adapting to modern cyber threats with limited resources • Practical examples of creative security solutions that don’t rely on new tools or headcount • Strategic approaches to prioritization, collaboration, and centralization • Ideas they can immediately apply in under-resourced private-sector or nonprofit environments • A reframing of creativity as a critical cybersecurity competency Target Audience • Blue teamers and defenders • Security leaders and managers • Threat intelligence professionals • Public-sector security practitioners • Private-sector teams operating under budget or staffing constraints