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Upstate Cancer Center in Verona starts seeing patients
VERONA, N.Y. — It’s expected that the new Upstate Cancer Center in Verona will see its first patients on Oct. 17. Syracuse’s Upstate Medical University on Sept. 26 formally opened the new center, which is located at the intersection of Routes 365 and 31 in Verona. The location is “important and came about after a […]
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VERONA, N.Y. — It’s expected that the new Upstate Cancer Center in Verona will see its first patients on Oct. 17.
Syracuse’s Upstate Medical University on Sept. 26 formally opened the new center, which is located at the intersection of Routes 365 and 31 in Verona. The location is “important and came about after a long search,” Upstate said.
“We’ve been serving this community for almost 30 years and we wanted to bring the next generation of cancer care to this region, so we’ve been planning for a long while to make this happen,” Dr. Robert Corona, CEO of Upstate University Hospital, said in a release.
More than 150 people attended the Sept. 26 formal-opening event, which included tours of the 30,000-square-foot Upstate Cancer Center.
The new center includes expanded diagnostic and treatment services and spaces for all cancers. It will provide medical oncology, radiation therapy, surgical subspecialties, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, and consultative services.
Its services also include the Varian TrueBeam, a radiotherapy system that helps deliver “powerful cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy,” Upstate Medical University contends.
The center is located on land belonging to the Oneida Indian Nation, making it the “first time in history” that an Indian nation and New York State have worked together to build a medical facility for an entire region on Indian lands, Upstate Medical University said, citing the Oneida Indian Nation.
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter, CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises, presented a leather medicine bag made by Nation representatives to Corona and credited several people with making the opportunity possible.
In her remarks, cancer survivor Dixie Enos told the gathering about the “outstanding care” she has received as a patient of the Upstate Cancer Center and the “bright future the center presents to others like her.”
“The new Upstate Cancer Center isn’t just a facility; it’s a promise to all those who walk through the doors,” Enos said in the Upstate release. “It’s a promise of cutting-edge care, of innovative research that promises to unravel the mysteries of cancer. It’s a promise to the community that no one fights alone.”
Others offering remarks included Dr. Thomas Vandermeer, interim director of the Upstate Cancer Center; Thomas Valenti, principal of the Cameron Group, LLC; Dr. Brian Thompson, Upstate assistant dean for diversity and a member of the Wolf Clan, Oneida Indian Nation; Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky; Dr. Phillip Capozzi, endowed professor of urology; and Dr. Linda Schicker, assistant professor of radiology.
Valerie Grey, SUNY senior vice chancellor for academic health and hospital affairs, offered congratulations on behalf of SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr., Upstate said.
With the opening of the Verona facility, the Upstate Cancer Center now provides services in numerous locations. They include the Patricia J. Numann Center for Breast, Endocrine & Plastic Surgery in Syracuse, Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders in Syracuse, the Upstate Cancer Center (Gynecologic Oncology) at Madison Irving Medical Center, Upstate Cancer Center at Hill Medical Center in Syracuse, Gamma Knife Center at Upstate University Hospital, Upstate Cancer Center at Upstate Community Hospital, and Upstate Cancer Center at Oswego, per the release.
Onondaga County hotels register increase in guests in August
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels posted a slight rise in occupancy in August, while two other benchmarks of business performance increased much more. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county edged up 2.4 percent to 76.5 percent in the eighth month of this year compared to August
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels posted a slight rise in occupancy in August, while two other benchmarks of business performance increased much more.
The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county edged up 2.4 percent to 76.5 percent in the eighth month of this year compared to August 2022, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. Year to date, occupancy was up 4.8 percent to 61.6 percent.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, jumped 13.1 percent to $115.71 in Onondaga County in August from a year prior. In the first eight months of 2023, RevPar was 13.2 percent higher to $79.46.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, moved higher by 10.5 percent to $151.28 in August versus the year-earlier month. For the period between Jan. 1 and August 31 of this year, ADR was up 8.1 percent to $128.92, compared to the same timeframe in 2022.

WHITESBORO, N.Y. — Home-improvement business New York Sash made some team updates as the business continues to grow. The biggest change is the return of Jill Hayes, who now serves as the company’s CEO. “It’s such a great feeling to be back in the office,” she said in a statement. “New York Sash has come
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WHITESBORO, N.Y. — Home-improvement business New York Sash made some team updates as the business continues to grow.
The biggest change is the return of Jill Hayes, who now serves as the company’s CEO.
“It’s such a great feeling to be back in the office,” she said in a statement. “New York Sash has come so far since I left, and I’m excited to see how much more we can do. With the help of my amazing team, I’m committed to giving homeowners the very best experience with their home-remodeling projects, to making New York Sash the best place to work, and giving back to this wonderful community we’re lucky to be a part of.”
Hayes, wife of business owner Scot Hayes, first joined the company in 1995 and served for more than 20 years as marketing director and then VP. When the couple launched television show “CNY’s Open House,” she also served as the company’s spokesperson. After having children in the mid-2000s, Hayes decided to take a step back from the business to focus on her family.
Now that Jill is back, Scot Hayes will continue as owner of the company, with marketing efforts, on “CNY’s Open House,” and with involvement in organizations, events, and activities in the area.
Along with Jill Hayes as CEO, New York Sash made several other updates to its executive and management team.
Rachel Smith was promoted to VP of production and fulfilment, where she oversees and coordinates the order process and leads the production team.
Ryan Smith took on a leadership role as installation manager, where he leads the department, and the company welcomed back longtime employee Jeff Reilly as measure and product manager.
Founded in 1989, New York Sash is a home-improvement company specializing in replacement windows, siding, and bath products. It serves Chenango, Cortland, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, and Schoharie counties.

Rome Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine to relocate
ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine announced it is moving to the medical center on the main campus of the hospital effective Monday, Nov. 6, to better serve its patients. “Our practice has been expanding with the addition of new specialists to serve our community,” Practice Administrator Lisa Taurisano said in a
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ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine announced it is moving to the medical center on the main campus of the hospital effective Monday, Nov. 6, to better serve its patients.
“Our practice has been expanding with the addition of new specialists to serve our community,” Practice Administrator Lisa Taurisano said in a news release. “When we relocated to the hospital’s main campus, our patients will have convenient access to X-ray, MRI, and other diagnostic-imaging services all under one roof.”
Beginning Nov. 6, the following providers begin seeing patients at the new Rome Health Medical Center location: Kyle Angelicola-Richarson, Marty Ross, Ryan Thachen-Cary, Max Greenky, Kevin Kopko, and Mitch Rubinovich. Patients should use the Oak Street parking lot and enter the medical center through the Bartlett entrance, Rome Health said.
“With the new addition of Dr. Angelicola-Richarson, we now have six specialists to provide surgical and non-surgical treatment for conditions and injuries involving muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones,” Taurisano said. “We’re pleased to be able to offer sub-specialties right here in Rome.”
Angelicola-Richardson, a Rome native, specializes in treating injuries and disorders affecting the hand and upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. A sports-medicine specialist, Thachen-Cary has expertise in sports-related concussions.
The hospital also collaborated with Syracuse Orthopedics Specialists to perform hip and knee-replacement surgeries at Rome Health for easier access for patients.
“Whether you’re a star athlete or a casual golfer, we understand your sense of urgency to get back into action,” Taurisano said. “Our goal is to help you regain your function and mobility while alleviating pain so you can enjoy the things you love to do.”
Before the Nov. 6 move, Rome Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is currently located at Chestnut Commons at 107 E. Chestnut St., according to its website.
VIEWPOINT: Boomerang Employees: Why You Lose Them & How to Keep Them
They say if you care about something, set it free and if it comes back, it’s meant to be. In many ways, the same can be said for employees and their workplaces — as “boomerang employees” have become the latest hiring trend. This term is used to describe employees that leave their positions to pursue
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They say if you care about something, set it free and if it comes back, it’s meant to be. In many ways, the same can be said for employees and their workplaces — as “boomerang employees” have become the latest hiring trend. This term is used to describe employees that leave their positions to pursue a new opportunity, only to regret their resignation and return to their former employer.
Over the past few years since the start of the “Great Resignation,” industries have seen a significant increase in regretful, returning employees. According to a 2023 report by Harvard Business Review, 28 percent of new hires in a multi-year study were boomerang hires who had resigned within the previous 36 months.
While welcoming back experienced talent is great, leaders should be asking themselves, what makes them resign in the first place? And how can I retain or regain top talent in a competitive market? To start, businesses must understand the top drivers that lead employees to start seeking new roles or missing old ones.
From professional development to a change of scenery, below are the top reasons employees leave and how businesses can improve their retention and boomerang rates.
1. Exploring New Opportunities
One of the top reasons for employees to leave a company is to explore new opportunities. This could mean seeking a different role that will introduce new skillsets like leadership and management, or simply falling for an attractive offer from a competitor. The nature of these resignations became especially popular during and immediately following the pandemic, when a highly competitive job market presented more job openings across industries than ever before with inflated perks like higher pay and greater flexibility.
To combat this allure, business leaders should prioritize offering internal learning and development programs and opportunities for employees to make lateral moves to departments that interest them. They should also consider mentorship programs that allow for the exploration of new skills and interests for specialized professional development. Most importantly, remaining competitive in areas like compensation, benefits, and work-life balance is critical in retaining and re-attracting talent.
2. Seeking Supportive Teams
It’s not all about the money for some. Lack of team support and comradery is another top reason why employees leave a role. On the other hand, a strong culture and repertoire is one of the main reasons employees come back. In an international study conducted by UKG, 38 percent of job leavers stated that their peers and coworkers were the top thing they missed about a former job.
Therefore, prioritizing the building of strong bonds between employees is a great way to make the choice to leave a difficult one, and the choice to come back an easy one. This can be done through regular team outings and team-building activities, and management training to ensure that employees feel professionally supported by their peers and leaders.
3. Changing of Location
Relocating is a major driver of seeking new job opportunities, especially when a current employer requires that employees be in the office. Many professionals, especially those in Gen-Z, value the flexibility of working from anywhere, whether that means working remotely while they travel, or keeping their current job while they set off to live in a new city of their choice. Conversely, relocation can be a reason for resignation if the employer is requesting that employees relocate for a role when they do not wish to leave their current location.
That is why maintaining flexibility is critical in re-attracting and retaining talent. If possible, businesses should seriously consider abandoning rigid in-office policies or remaining open to establishing new outposts in cities based on employees’ locations. Not only does this demonstrate trust, it demonstrates a value for the personal lives of employees — an attractive benefit for boomerang talent and new prospects.
Winning back top talent is a great achievement, but business leaders should focus efforts on how to prevent resignations in the first place to avoid business disruptions. Understanding the main reasons that employees leave is the first step in building a positive working environment that proactively addresses these issues before they lead to wandering eyes. Simply put, listen to your people, heed their goals and values, and foster a culture where the grass will always be greener.
Bruce Zicari is the managing partner and CEO of The Bonadio Group and is also a member of the firm’s management committee and board of directors. Contact him at bzicari@bonadio.com.

NYS, FTC among those pursuing antitrust lawsuit against Amazon
New York, 16 other states, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are suing Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), alleging that the ecommerce giant is a monopolist. The entities accuse Amazon of using “a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power,” the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James said
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New York, 16 other states, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are suing Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), alleging that the ecommerce giant is a monopolist.
The entities accuse Amazon of using “a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power,” the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in its Sept. 26 announcement.
The lawsuit alleges that Amazon’s actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon.
The Seattle, Washington–based online retail and technology company operates a fulfillment center in Clay and a delivery station in DeWitt.
The complaint alleges that Amazon violates the law not because it is big, but because it “engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging,” James’ office said in a news release.
By stifling competition on price, product selection, and quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon “ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance,” the suit alleges.
Amazon’s “far-reaching schemes” impact hundreds of billions of dollars in retail sales every year, touch hundreds of thousands of products sold by businesses big and small and affect over a hundred million shoppers.
“Amazon illegally raised prices for consumers and took advantage of online sellers in its storefront and they should be held accountable,” James said in the release. “Amazon’s monopolistic behavior is hurting consumers, online sellers, competition, and the overall economy. Today my office is leading a multistate coalition in joining the FTC to put an end to Amazon’s abusive and manipulative practices to protect consumers and small businesses nationwide. Every company, big or small, must abide by the law and my office is not afraid to hold those that don’t to account.”
Amazon reaction
In an article about the lawsuit on the website of ABC News, Amazon reacted saying, “Today’s suit makes clear the FTC’s focus has radically departed from its mission of protecting consumers and competition,” Amazon said. “The practices the FTC is challenging have helped to spur competition and innovation across the retail industry, and have produced greater selection, lower prices, and faster delivery speeds for Amazon customers and greater opportunity for the many businesses that sell in Amazon’s store.”
The company also added, “The lawsuit filed by the FTC today is wrong on the facts and the law, and we look forward to making that case in court.”
Amazon has cooperated with the FTC over a years-long investigation, the company noted. “It was our hope the agency would recognize that Amazon’s innovations and customer-centric focus have benefited American consumers through low prices and increased competition in the already competitive retail industry,” the company added.

Shared services net savings for Broome County
Municipalities have worked for decades to share services and cut costs, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar tells CNYBJ in an interview. In both small and large ways, shared services have been happening for a while. “There are tons of things that local governments are doing already to save money,” he says. In Broome County that
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Municipalities have worked for decades to share services and cut costs, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar tells CNYBJ in an interview. In both small and large ways, shared services have been happening for a while.
“There are tons of things that local governments are doing already to save money,” he says. In Broome County that includes anything from a shared water plant to sharing highway materials.
But when the state launched the shared-services initiative, it opened up an opportunity to capitalize on the savings achieved by municipalities working together, Garnar adds. Since the initiative began, the county has completed a number of projects.
Broome County worked with the Maine-Endwell and Whitney Point school districts to share caseworkers, saving about $325,000, and coordinated a public-safety radio tower consolidation.
A Medicaid Advantage prescription-drug purchasing alliance with municipalities and school districts allows the group to get the best prices. This helps lower the cost of the coverage Broome County provides to its retirees and saved about $2 million.
The Town of Deposit and Village of Sanford within the county combined their two separate courts into one, saving about $150,000. Deposit also dissolved its police department.
A joint-purchasing coalition for prescription drugs has saved the county about $3 million, Garnar says. “The state turned around and cut us a check for $3 million.”
“We have done four plans, and we have saved approximately $8 million,” he notes. The county will receive the rest of the matching funding once the state verifies the county’s savings, he adds.
At the recent meeting, the plan proposed for the next cost-savings initiative will have the county working with the Binghamton City School District to add an employee to the district to work on housing situations. Once again, the position will come out of the county’s social services department, so that 50 percent of the cost is reimbursed by the state.
“It’s a nice program for counties to get in,” Garnar says. Broome County has 23 different villages, towns, and cities located within its borders.
Other counties that have participated in the initiative include Onondaga, Otsego, Oswego, Jefferson, Chemung, and Tompkins.

Sciarabba Walker has had a busy year of growth
ITHACA, N.Y. — Sciarabba Walker & Co., LLP is keeping busy in 2023 with the addition of a new building and at least nine new employees as the accounting and business consulting firm continues to grow. “We started about five years ago experiencing meaningful growth,” says Dave Iles, managing partner. With growth exceeding Sciarabba Walker’s
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ITHACA, N.Y. — Sciarabba Walker & Co., LLP is keeping busy in 2023 with the addition of a new building and at least nine new employees as the accounting and business consulting firm continues to grow.
“We started about five years ago experiencing meaningful growth,” says Dave Iles, managing partner. With growth exceeding Sciarabba Walker’s annual projections, he attributes the increase to the firm being more intentional in serving clients and adding new clients.
Growth also came out of the pandemic, especially as businesses were struggling to understand the different government programs and resources available to them, he adds, and the growth has just continued from there.
In 2013, Sciarabba Walker moved into its existing building at 410 East Upland Road in Ithaca. Right from the start, the firm fully occupied the building, Iles says, so the challenge was how to grow and add employees within that space.
The firm approached the owner of the building next door with interest in purchasing it if the owner ever sold, and about three years ago, the owner was ready to move forward.
Plans were paused for a time during the pandemic, but Sciarabba Walker ultimately decided to tear down the existing building and start fresh with a new net-zero energy building. In late March, the firm opened the new building, where it occupies about 2,300 square feet for its growing outsourced accounting team. The remaining 3,200 square feet are currently leased to the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium and provide space for future firm growth if needed.
Sciarabba Walker’s outsourced accounting department, which serves as a traditional CPA firm handling things like taxes and audits, has grown from about seven people doing some bookkeeping for clients to a team of nearly 20 now.
“We provide the back-office accounting and finance functions for our clients,” Iles says. Particularly with the region’s workforce shortages, Sciarabba Walker has seen tremendous growth in the need for those services. “A lot of our clients are struggling,” he says. Outsourcing the work allows businesses to function when they can’t find someone to fill that CFO position.
For other companies, the service allows them to scale their business. Maybe the companies don’t need an in-house, full-time person in the role right now, Iles says. They can work with Sciarabba Walker and scale up as the business grows.
Along with the outsourced accounting team, Sciarabba Walker has also seen growth within its audit and tax teams.
Iles attributes the growth — in employees, in clients, and in revenue — to being client-service and employee focused. That means spending the time to learn clients’ needs and delivering on those and putting equal energy into employees, especially in terms of job satisfaction and career hopes.
He credits a hybrid work environment for part of that job satisfaction. It’s something Sciarabba Walker has been doing for about 15 years, long before the pandemic sent everyone home to work. In fact, the company had announced to employees in January 2020 that it was promoting a flexible work schedule. When the pandemic caused the shift to remote work, Sciarabba Walker was well prepared for it, Iles notes.
The firm also worked hard during that time to make sure that employees still felt connected and involved and put a priority on mental health as everyone worked to cope with the difficult time. That was vital to operations during the pandemic, Iles says.
Founded in 1976 by Andrew J. Sciarabba and J. Kenneth Walker, the firm employs about 60 people. Accounting and business-advisory services include consulting, audits, finance and accounting services, peer reviews, and business and individual tax services.

Syracuse College of Law dean to step down after academic year
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University College of Law Dean Craig Boise plans to step down from the role at the end of this academic year. He has served as dean since 2016. Following a sabbatical, Boise will return to the College of Law to teach, mentor, and continue his work as a legal scholar, Syracuse
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University College of Law Dean Craig Boise plans to step down from the role at the end of this academic year.
He has served as dean since 2016.
Following a sabbatical, Boise will return to the College of Law to teach, mentor, and continue his work as a legal scholar, Syracuse University said in an online announcement.
Information on the search effort to identify Boise’s successor is “forthcoming,” the school noted.
“Craig’s impact has been transformative,” Gretchen Ritter, Syracuse University vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, said in a university statement. “Under his leadership, the College of Law has been exceptionally strong in research, which is not traditional for law schools, and it has been innovative and entrepreneurial, particularly as it relates to evolving the legal education space to meet the needs of today’s students, increasing accessibility and opening doors to those who may come from post-traditional pathways. Craig has been an outstanding leader, partner and innovator and will leave behind an incredible success on which to be built.”
Boise came to Syracuse University from the Cleveland State University College of Law during a “period of great stress in legal education” when there were substantially fewer law-school applicants and a soft legal job market, Syracuse said.
“Craig saw these challenges as opportunities,” Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said. “He knew that law schools that could quickly pivot and creatively figure out ways to develop collaborative, interdisciplinary, novel and relevant course offerings and degrees would stand out competitively and attract talented students and faculty. I look forward to his continued contributions to Syracuse University as a legal scholar and colleague.”
When Boise stepped into his role as dean of the College of Law, Syracuse University said he described his vision to create “a sustainable law school that leverages the knowledge, skill and imagination of its faculty and staff to expand legal education in innovative ways.”
Seven years later, Boise is announcing his decision to step down “with that vision achieved,” the university contends. The College of Law is on “strong” financial and academic footing with new, “innovative” programs, partnerships and modalities, and students and graduates “performing at high levels during and after their legal education,” it adds.
“No dean remains in the role forever — we are merely stewards of our institutions for the time that we serve, with the goal of leaving them better than we found them,” Boise said. “I’m gratified to know that the College of Law is in a strong position on all fronts and that we can embrace the future with confidence. What our outstanding faculty and staff have created together — supported by our remarkable alumni — will serve as a solid foundation on which the next generation of extraordinary Orange lawyers will build their professional lives as they, in turn, strengthen the college’s reputation and impact.”
Accomplishments
In its announcement, Syracuse University listed several accomplishments for the College of Law under Boise’s leadership. They include launching the JDinteractive online J.D. program, “the first such program in the country to utilize virtual classrooms” and the “only online J.D./MBA program in the country” in partnership with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.
In addition, the Syracuse College of Law launched the Orange Advance pipeline program with Spelman and Morehouse Colleges and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. The College of Law also significantly increased both the diversity and credentials of the student body; on average, students of color have comprised 30 percent of entering classes, with a record 37 percent for the entering class of 2022, the university noted.
In addition, Boise has “significantly strengthened” the college’s financial position, by operating with a balanced budget and “raising more philanthropic dollars than ever before,” the college noted.
The annual fund surpassed $1 million for the first time in the college’s history and will exceed its $38 million Forever Orange Campaign goal more than one year ahead of schedule.

New York’s cybersecurity strategy and what it includes
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s first-ever statewide cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting the state’s digital infrastructure from today’s cyber threats. The strategy articulates, for the first-time, a set of high-level objectives for cybersecurity and resilience across the Empire State, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in announcing the strategy on Aug. 9 It clarifies
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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s first-ever statewide cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting the state’s digital infrastructure from today’s cyber threats.
The strategy articulates, for the first-time, a set of high-level objectives for cybersecurity and resilience across the Empire State, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in announcing the strategy on Aug. 9
It clarifies agency roles and responsibilities; outlines how existing and planned initiatives and investments “knit together into a unified approach;” and reiterates the state’s commitment to providing services, advice, and assistance to county and local governments.
New York State’s cybersecurity strategy provides public and private stakeholders with a “roadmap” for cyber-risk mitigation and outlines a plan to protect critical infrastructure, networks, data, and technology systems.
“Our interconnected world demands an interconnected defense leveraging every resource available,” Hochul said in the announcement. “This strategy sets forth a nation-leading blueprint to ensure New York State stands ready and resilient in the face of cyber threats.”
The strategy unifies New York’s cybersecurity services in order to protect critical infrastructure, personal information, and digital assets from malicious actors. It also provides a framework to align the actions and resources of both private and public stakeholders, including county and other local governments, Hochul’s office said.
Hochul announced her commitment to bolster New York’s centralized cybersecurity during this year’s State of the State address. The $90 million investment for cybersecurity included in the state budget made $30 million in shared-services funding available to help local governments in strengthening their own defenses against cyber threats.
Part of this strategy includes providing $500 million to enhance New York State’s health-care information technology, primarily cybersecurity infrastructure, as well as $7.4 million to expand the New York State Police’s cyber analysis unit, computer crimes unit, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Center.
Defining principles
The state’s cybersecurity strategy is defined by three central principles: unification, resilience, and preparedness.
When taken together, New York State can “lean on these tenets to present a unified and more resilient” defense against new and more sophisticated cyber threats; preventing the vast majority of attacks but also isolating, controlling, and mitigating potential threats; and preparing, adapting and “always being ready for the cyber challenges of the future,” Hochul’s office contended.
The strategy offers a blueprint for cybersecurity stakeholders across New York, from state agencies to local governments, to understand how they fit into a larger plan. The blueprint provides objectives, lines of effort, and a commitment from the governor that they can use when doing future planning and program design.
Hochul also signed legislation to expand New York’s technology workforce and provide funding to help ensure that New York–based employers are able to hire and retain necessary cybersecurity staff.
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