Grand Prairie Earns National IT Recognition

Published on November 14, 2024

The City of Grand Prairie was recognized among the country’s best in transforming digital services, enhancing cybersecurity, and bridging the digital divide, according to the Center for Digital Government.

The 10 highest-ranking cities in each of five population categories were honored during the Digital Cities Awards at the National League of Cities “City Summit” on Wednesday in Tampa Bay, Florida. 

“This achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of our Information Technology team, city leadership, and all city departments who consistently collaborate to push the boundaries of digital innovation," said Keshnel Penny, director of Information Technology for the City of Grand Prairie. "This prestigious acknowledgment is a testament to our ongoing commitment to leveraging technology in a way that enhances the quality of life for our residents, fosters economic growth, and ensures our city remains resilient and adaptable in a rapidly evolving digital landscape."

The Cities Survey recognizes cities utilizing technology to enhance digital services and transparency, strengthen cybersecurity, digital privacy rights, and digital equity, and those finding innovative ways to support solutions for social challenges facing cities today, according to the awards announcement.

The City of Grand Prairie ranked sixth in the 125,000 to 249,000 population category. 

"We are proud to be a part of this transformative journey and remain dedicated to advancing Grand Prairie as a digital leader among cities," Penny said. "Thank you for this recognition, which serves as both a celebration of our achievements and a motivation to continue striving for excellence."

The Center for Digital Government cited Grand Prairie's implementation of Barracuda Email Protection Premium Plus,  which has blocked close to 105,000 emails a month.  The city also updated firewalls that include threat intelligence feeds, blocking more than 2 million malicious URLs and IP connections in a week.

The City of Grand Prairie has been working on a disaster recovery plan for close to two years, testing and integrating a pilot VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery environment. Continuity of operations is top of mind too, with the city prioritizing a restoration should it be needed, with public-facing and payment systems listed as mission critical, according to the Center for Digital Government.

“Cities of every size are redefining what’s possible using technology to elevate public service and improve government,” said John Matelski, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government, on the center’s website. “The Digital Cities Survey is proud to honor these visionary leaders and cities setting bold new benchmarks in digital governance. Congratulations to all those driving impactful change and pioneering the future of local government with innovation and steadfast commitment.”

Read more about the cybersecurity upgrades and disaster recovery planning that earned the City of Grand Prairie this national recognition!”