Aptive Receives CISA Contract to Help State and Local Governments Strengthen Cyber Resilience

Aptive has received a one-year contract to support the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in reaching the state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments that protect much of the nation’s critical infrastructure. These are the communities that keep the water running, answer 911 calls and keep schools and public health departments open. CISA is working to equip them with knowledge, resources and practical tools to spot and stop cyber and physical threats and restore essential services when disruptions occur. Ultimately, these efforts help communities withstand attacks, recover faster and sustain the services their residents depend on.

The Aptive team will connect SLTT leaders with CISA through a coordinated program of research, education, engagement and action. The team will bring SLTT leaders together through CISA events, including gatherings such as summits or roundtables, livestreamed webinars and fireside chats. The team will also create a practical toolkit supplemented with ongoing resources and engaging videos; research how SLTT audiences use CISA resources and what makes local cybersecurity volunteer programs work; and support the 2027 CISA Resilience Challenge. Together, these efforts will help SLTT leaders understand their risks, access relevant resources and take action with confidence.

Research will inform the team’s approach from the start. Before building materials, the team will assess what SLTT audiences already know about CISA, what has resonated and where the gaps are in knowledge, access and engagement, and then shape the outreach campaign and toolkit around those findings. The result is clear, ready-to-use materials that a small-town clerk or tribal emergency coordinator, often juggling many roles with limited time and staff, can quickly adapt and share with their teams, along with deeper guidance and strategies for larger, better-resourced communities., better-resourced communities.

Through the Resilience Challenge, which invites communities to take specific, achievable security actions within a set timeframe and recognizes their awareness and resilience efforts, Aptive will help communities translate awareness into action by promoting achievable resilience-building activities and identifying promising practices. The team will find communities doing great work, select winners across multiple categories, share their stories on social media and celebrate them at a capstone event.

“Most of the people protecting a town’s water system or a county’s 911 center aren’t cybersecurity specialists. They’re wearing five hats, and they need guidance they can put to work right away,” said Karen Randall, Director at Aptive. “Our job is to create evidence-based tools and resources the SLTTs can customize to each of their unique environments.”

Much of the nation’s critical infrastructure is run close to home, often by small teams juggling security alongside many other duties. Practical, people-first communication helps those teams put CISA’s resources to work. For Aptive, the contract extends its strategic communications and outreach experience into homeland security and critical infrastructure, expanding its support across federal civilian agencies. Aptive will deliver the work through Arrow ARC, its joint venture, which holds the prime contract.