In the wake of a major IT outage caused by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, Howard County was among those hit with significant system disruptions affecting operations countywide. According to Howard County press release, Brandee Ganz, Howard County's Chief Administrative Officer, the update deployed by CrowdStrike at 12:41 a.m. resulted in widespread issues, striking a variety of sectors globally including banking, aviation, and governmental entities.
Howard County officials, together with the Department of Technology and Communication Services (DTCS), embarked on a race against time to bring back online the most critical of their systems, 911 operations center and financial systems weren't the only focus but also all other high priority platforms had to be addressed. Local government employees were not left in the dark, receiving a telephonic heads-up early in the morning regarding the unfolding situation, and an email followed at 6 a.m. outlining the steps to be taken next.
Efforts to contain and rectify the fallout were stepped up as employees scattered across various Howard County worksites received aid from DTCS-deployed technicians by 8 a.m. Ganz shared her commendations for the team's quick response and mitigation measures that helped keep the county's services running with minimal interruptions despite the potentially crippling nature of the CrowdStrike outage.
As quoted in the official county news release, by 10:30 a.m. Ganz and her team engaged in comprehensive briefing sessions with elected officials, keeping them apprised of the scope and impact while initiating and implementing according to their Continuity of Operations Plans where necessary.
