WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — Williamsburg was named one of the nation’s top digital cities for 2022.
This year’s Digital Cities Survey from the Center for Digital Government ranked Williamsburg at No. 3 for cities with populations of fewer than 75,000 residents.
The study, now in its 22nd year, recognizes cities who utilize technology to “strengthen cybersecurity, enhance transparency and digital equity and plan for the future of work.”
Williamsburg says it was recognized for aligning the city’s goals with the IT department’s strategic plan, which included creating its first security program manual and incident response plan in the case of an emergency such as cyberattack.
“The City of Williamsburg has long been recognized in the Digital Cities Survey for our
use of technology throughout the organization and the city itself,” said Mark Barham, the
City’s chief information officer. “Our ranking of third in the nation, given our small
population size, is a testament to the hard work of all city staff and the support we
receive from City Council.”
Williamsburg joins Schaumburg, Illinois (first place) and Tamarac, Florida (second) in the top three. Danville, Virginia, was also in the top 10.
Norfolk and Hampton also won again in 2022 for cities of their size.
Read the full award description for Williamsburg below:
Williamsburg tech and innovation work this past year has had a strong focus on aligning IT goals, incorporating new policy changes and improving citizen engagement. For instance, the IT department recently incorporated the city’s goals, initiatives and outcomes into its strategic plan to better align tech objectives with other work being performed by the city. This process involved mapping the department’s projects in a way that connected them to city council goals. They also conducted a formal Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis to better understand the department’s contributions within the broader enterprise.
As for incorporating new policy changes, the city implemented its first-ever information security program manual (ISPM) and incident response plan. The ISPM is a 162-page document detailing the ins and outs of the city’s security program. Meanwhile, the city’s incident response plan details what actions should be taken in the event of a cyber attack. Both documents follow the National Institute of Standards and Technology standards and aim to formalize the city’s security response. Lastly, the city partnered with Zencity to develop GovFlow in order to help improve citizen engagement. The platform consolidates web forms, social media, chatbots and other tools that allow residents and visitors to ask questions or report issues into a single dashboard. Currently, all city departments have access to the platform and can address different requests or issues accordingly.
