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MCP expands comprehensive suite of workforce-optimization services

Virtual chief information security officer (CISO) support is the latest offering designed to help public-sector organizations cope with the acute staffing shortages that exist from coast to coast

STATE COLLEGE, PA., — The staffing shortage that is afflicting public-sector organizations — law enforcement, fire/rescue, emergency medical, 911, justice/courts, and corrections — has reached a crisis stage and often is affecting how, and how well, such organizations are performing their mission-critical functions. In response, Mission Critical Partners (MCP) today announced the latest addition to its comprehensive suite of SecureHalo family of IT and cybersecurity solutions designed to address the staffing shortage and mitigate its impact: virtual chief information security officer (CISO) support.

Cyberattackers constantly evolve their tactics and new devices and applications continually are added to systems, all of which increases cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The organization often lacks the cybersecurity and information technology (IT) resources needed to understand the findings and then craft suitable strategies for addressing them. This is particularly true of smaller organizations and of those in the public sector, which traditionally has struggled to compete with private-sector organizations for such resources.

To help organizations cope, MCP launched its virtual CISO support, which provides the following benefits:

  • Eliminates procurement of in-house, full-time expertise, which is highly advantageous given that cybersecurity practitioners are in high demand and typically are expensive. MCP’s model requires that you only pay for the services utilized, on a time-and-material basis.
  • Enables an organization to tap into world-class expertise that often is infeasible to develop internally. This model is ideal for mission-critical organizations with sensitive data that requires a mature cybersecurity program.
  • Ensures that an organization has access to real-time remediation services if an information-security compromise occurs.

This offering is especially important in today’s environment — there simply are not enough cybersecurity resources available today in the marketplace for every organization to secure through direct hire to operate its communications networks, systems, and devices effectively, according to David S. Jones, president of lifecycle management services.

“Even if those resources were readily available, the budgets that many, if not most, public-sector organizations have at their disposal today make it very difficult, if not impossible, to bring those assets in house,” Jones said. “Consequently, the most cost-effective way for many to gain this critical capability is to outsource.”

MCP offers a wide variety of staff-augmentation services pertaining to other operational aspects of public-sector organizations. For example, MCP personnel are onsite and serving as one county-level client’s IT department, while others are performing the functions of geographic information system (GIS) technicians and emergency communications center (ECC) managers for an extended period until full-time personnel can be hired.

“We can do this on an interim basis or longer — whatever it takes to fill the gap,” said Darrin Reilly, MCP president and CEO.

In addition, MCP offers other staff augmentation and consulting services to public sector organizations, including the following:

  • Workforce assessments
  • Strategic planning
  • Recruitment and hiring support
  • Training support
  • Retention support

“Organizations often are not looking for candidates in the right places, are not identifying the right candidates for open positions, and do not have adequate career-development programs needed to retain effective personnel when they are found,” Reilly said. “Our workforce-optimization services are designed specifically to help organizations overcome these challenges and more.”

About Mission Critical Partners (MCP)

Mission Critical Partners (MCP) is a leading provider of data integration, consulting, network, and cybersecurity solutions specializing in transforming mission-critical communications networks into integrated ecosystems that improve outcomes in the public safety, justice, healthcare, transportation, and utility markets. Our comprehensive experience and vendor-agnostic approach helps us develop modernized solutions for our clients to maximize value and create optimal efficiency while mitigating risk. Additional information and career opportunities are available at www.MissionCriticalPartners.com.