"A smart city is a journey." Best practices in mobility & cybersecurity | Microsoft

For eight years I had the privilege of serving as mayor of a community of nearly 90,000 people, as well as on the board of directors of a university hospital. Now, as an educator in emerging technologies and a Microsoft ambassador, I get to share my passion for technology for good and particularly the role of technology in making government services more accessible, efficient, and people-centric.

"A smart city is a journey," explains Ben Hammel, Microsoft's Director of Strategy for Critical Infrastructure, Transportation, and Digital Identity markets focused on US State and Local governments. It's a more "connected city", which means that "technology is playing a major role in the advancement" of city goals. I had the chance to talk to Ben about best practices for smart cities with a focus on transportation and cybersecurity.

Cities hold lots of data - often in silos that slow digital transformation

Cities hold lots of data in silos that prevent the data from being optimized for the public good, Hammel cautions. On the bright side, he notes that these are opportunities for cities to find new efficiencies for governmental services, as well as opportunities for "equity and resiliency for the future."

Transportation is one of the "hearts of a city"

Hammel stressed that "transportation is one of the hearts of a city". He underscored the need for a reliable, safe public transportation system as a way of helping to unify a city and to bring more economic growth. Focusing on practicalities, Ben noted the need for cities to consider a broad spectrum of solutions, from e-bikes to ride-sharing, i.e., micro-mobility, as well as considering user travel times, safety, and comfort.

Identify your "transportation deserts" where public transportation is lacking, Hammel advises. Greening these deserts with public transportation can be an important way of making a city more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous, he explains.

Smart cities are sustainable cities, using tech to lessen the carbon footprint of transportation

"Never letting a big bus sit at a red light for too long" is an example of how technology can be leveraged to make cities smarter and more sustainable, said Ben. He explained that coordinating "signal processing" between a bus and city traffic lights can lessen wasted gas and harmful fumes while expediting rider travel times. He noted that these sorts of efficiencies also encourage greater usage of public transportation.

Connected traffic signals, manhole covers - cities need to consider cybersecurity in new ways

Data sources are not just our computers or phones, Hammel cautions. Smart cities need to think about cybersecurity for the Internet of Things, connected devices, and everything from connected traffic signals to connected manhole covers. They all provide potential cybersecurity attack entry points, he warns.

"Zero Trust" is a fundamental cybersecurity standard for smart cities awash in data, Hammel explains. It means providing minimum access to data to allow the person needing to get a job done to get the job done," said Hammel. He also noted that cities must find ways to share and collaborate with data while providing privacy and cybersecurity safeguards.

"Artificial intelligence and automation are huge opportunities for cities," Hammel notes. He also cautions that cities must consider which tasks to automate and which ones are "mission critical" and should be reserved for human decision-making. He gave an example of automating the dispatch of a tow truck when an AI camera detects an accident but assigning to staff the level of emergency response required.

Future mobility isn't just autonomous cars - it's autonomous trucks, buses and pizza deliveries, and drone management

Future mobility is going to be pretty exciting according to Hammel. He noted that there will be a wide variety of autonomous vehicles, from autonomous buses to autonomous trucks to autonomous pizza deliveries. We need to think of drones - and a swarm of drones that'll need drone management. As most of these vehicles will be electric, Hammel noted that they will add sustainability to smart cities. Connected to the internet via sensors, he noted that new efficiencies, like "curb management", and safety measures, like enhanced pedestrian crossings, can be added.

The smart city journey requires a cybersecurity and technology plan

"You need to have a comprehensive plan on how technology affects your city", Hammel offered as the starting point for the smart city journey. When you're a smart city, "you're going to grow pretty fast and have lots of projects...having a monitoring tool in place to be able to say on a regular basis what's going on in my network", to know what's right and what isn't will be important to safeguarding the journey.

"We're seeing a lot more ransomware attacks on cities," warned Hammel. He cited the example of a city water utility: it typically has everyone's payment information. He noted that cities must assess and prioritize their assets and vulnerabilities from the perspective of business continuity. "If we go to turn on our water or power and it doesn't work, then we are majorly impacted, that's a big part of our lives," Hammel observed. "Government needs to think about security at its core." "It's a backup, restore, anti-ransomware approach," he explained.

Once the plan is in place - it should be tested, Hammel recommended. Simulate that a ransomware cyberattack has happened. "How are we going to react?"

Summing up his cybersecurity suggestions for smart cities, Hammel said: Have a plan. Know your vulnerabilities. Prioritize fixing those vulnerabilities. And test on a regular basis. And "lean on your private partners" to maintain your investments. Continue to evaluate your data and think about how you're growing. And, yes, Microsoft will help cities with their cybersecurity assessments and audits, providing them with reports that will identify vulnerabilities and how to address them.

Understanding the latest cybersecurity threat landscape is also an important benchmark for smart city leadership. Fortunately, Microsoft recently released its comprehensive report on the subject: "Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2022".

Further Reading: Smart Cities Lead with Cybersecurity.