Best Practices in Secure Smart City Transformation

The term “smart city” has become something of a buzzword recently — but what exactly makes a city “smart?” Beyond technology, it all comes down to a city’s ability to leverage digital transformation initiatives to improve the quality of life for its constituents. As urban populations surge, cities everywhere are using smart city technology to optimize resources, improve living conditions, and enhance resilience against environmental and operational challenges.

Though the promise of smart cities has many benefits, successful implementation means overcoming several hurdles, especially when it comes to securing hundreds or thousands of IT and operational technology (OT) devices. Before choosing digital transformation initiatives, smart cities must be willing to comprehensively understand and address the problem that they’re solving for, ensuring that the correct stakeholders are involved at every turn. Without a careful understanding of this dynamic, smart city initiatives can become costly failures.

What does a successful smart city transformation look like? It’s not all moving pedestrian walkways and self-driving busses. At its core, a smart city leverages digital technology and data analytics to enhance the daily life of everyone in the city. The integration of sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and robust data platforms enables cities to manage everything from traffic to energy more efficiently.

Key elements of a smart city include:

• Data-driven decision making: Using data sensors, IoT devices and citywide connectivity to facilitate real-time decisions when managing critical infrastructure like traffic, energy, water waste and safety systems.

• Sustainability: Improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions with immediately actionable data.
  
  
• Citizen engagement: Empowering residents to interact with services through apps, open data portals and digital tools.

• Infrastructure optimization: Leveraging smart grids, intelligent transportation systems and automated utilities to better manage traffic, distribute energy distribution and more.
   

Done correctly, these elements of smart city transformation investments can collectively result in:

• Improved quality of life with faster emergency responses, cleaner air and water via environmental monitoring and safer streets through intelligent lighting and surveillance.
  
  
• Reduced traffic congestion with smart, adaptable traffic lights and real-time route optimization.
  
  
• Better efficiency and improved sustainability with smart grids and more efficient water, waste and energy consumption.
  
  
• Better city services and infrastructure with predictive maintenance for roads, bridges and utilities as well as IoT-based monitoring to reduce costs and downtime of essential services.
  
  
• Economic growth and innovation with a smart infrastructure that attracts startups, investors and tech companies, boosting job creation while enhancing competitiveness among cities.
  
  
• Improved public safety and emergency preparedness with real-time crime and disaster tracking as well as smart sirens, alerts and evacuation systems while facilitating faster coordination between agencies.

The benefits of a successful smart city transformation are immense, but achieving them requires time, effort and careful planning. Smart cities do not spring up overnight; this transformation is a gradual process which should be taken one step at a time.

Tackling too many smart city initiatives at the same time is often a recipe for disaster, leading smart city initiatives to fail. One of the most common missteps comes with managing a myriad of vendors and endpoints. Technology transformation initiatives require diverse technology domains to come together — from public safety and transportation to waste management, traffic control and more. Handling these initiatives “one bite at a time,” allows for stakeholders to collaborate, navigate the intricacies of data ownership, ensure consistent security protocols and allow OT and IT teams to work together.

As cities become smarter and more connected, the potential impact of a cyberattack becomes exponentially more damaging, which is why one of the most important considerations in any smart city transformation should be security. By definition, smart cities connect hundreds or thousands of new IT assets to existing OT infrastructure. A forward-thinking smart city must adopt a unified approach to IT and OT security that encompasses all aspects of the city's digital infrastructure.

Doing this correctly requires not only securing devices and networks but also addressing potential vulnerabilities in data management systems while establishing robust disaster recovery plans. Clear policies and procedures for incident response as well as ongoing monitoring of security protocols will also help bring these two disparate environments together safely.

Take, for example, these 2024 incidents in which hacker groups targeted water facilities in rural Texas. The hackers broke into a remote login system for industrial software that allows operators to interact with water tanks, causing a tank in Muleshoe, Texas to overflow for nearly an hour. Attackers also targeted water systems in towns Hale Center and Lockney, Texas, simultaneously. To mitigate the damage, water center operators had to react quickly, taking the systems offline and reverting to manual operations.

As smart cities increasingly integrate digital systems to improve critical infrastructure, it’s important to understand the impact that this connectivity can have on public safety and operational continuity. Implementing a smart city transformation initiative without a unified security strategy can have potentially disastrous consequences. Because OT infrastructure systems have historically operated independently, integrating IT assets into these environments without considerations for security can leave once-secure environments vulnerable to risks.

So, with all the complexities that come with bringing together different city departments — such as public works, police and sanitation — where do many transformation journeys stall?  The top challenges for many cities include:

• A lack of clear goals or strategy. Many organizations approach smart city transformation without a goal in mind, putting technology first and business goals second. Remember, smart city technology is not a “magic wand,” and the output of this transformation is heavily dependent on the input. The clearer the problem is, the easier it will be to find a smart solution to it.
  
  
• Inadequate security. Integrating IT and OT systems without a strong security strategy behind them can lead to serious breaches or even render city infrastructure inoperable. For instance, unauthorized access to traffic management systems could lead to chaos on the roads, while breaches in emergency response systems can jeopardize public safety.
  
  
• Siloed teams and systems. Even a seemingly simple goal like traffic optimization can involve potentially hundreds of stakeholders, from traffic control technicians to parking enforcement officers. Without access to all data and perspectives, your smart city transformation initiative may miss opportunities for success.
  
  
• Poor data integration. Who owns the data in a smart city? Which team secures it and which team is responsible for the data repository? These conversations must happen at every level, as lack of shared data can negatively impact the success of your smart city transformation.

1. Focus on the problem first, not the technology. Before implementing a technology solution, be sure that your team understands the problem you’re trying to solve as well as the parameters around it. Even one seemingly simple goal can involve numerous stakeholders and hundreds of “sub-goals” to arrive at a solution.

For example, a city struggling with one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the nation recently took on a smart cities’ initiative to help improve pedestrian safety. By introducing video analytics at intersections, city officials shifted their focus not just to accidents but to near misses, uncovering the most dangerous spots for pedestrians.

Historical data further revealed patterns and problem areas, guiding decisions to adjust traffic signal timings, widen certain lanes and implement other strategic changes. The system continuously collects video data to track progress, enabling real-time adjustments like altering signal timing based on weather, time of day or peak traffic periods. This innovative approach not only saved lives but also transformed the city's streets into safer, smarter spaces for all citizens.

2. Implement a unified security strategy. City leaders must prioritize cybersecurity as a critical aspect of their smart city initiatives and ensure that all stakeholders are held accountable for implementing necessary measures. This multi-layered security strategy should include:

• Zero trust architecture: Embracing the principle of "never trust, always verify," with continuous authentication and stringent identity management.
  
  
• Cybersecurity by design: Ensuring that security measures are integrated into the hardware, firmware and software at the inception of any project.
  
  
• Secure device and network management: Employing network segmentation, anomaly detection and traffic monitoring to safeguard critical infrastructure.

3. Identify data value beneficiaries and prioritize governance. Ensure that your teams have a clear understanding of the data landscape so that all stakeholders are involved in decision-making processes, particularly when it comes to managing and sharing data securely across departments. Taking proactive measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches through encryption, robust access controls and regular security audits is an essential part of this governance, and a CDW Transformation Workshop can help align these efforts.

4. Bring siloed systems and teams together. With so many moving pieces and interdependencies involved in smart city transformations, getting the “big picture” is essential. This means involving all stakeholders across departments — from engineers and IT professionals to project managers and executives — in ongoing discussions about potential risks and mitigation strategies.

OT assessments and OT/IT maturity assessments can help illuminate who your city’s stakeholders are, where initiatives overlap and recommend strategies for success. A worthwhile assessment should provide detailed assessment scores in key OT/IT convergence areas along with a clear overview of your organization’s maturity levels. By fostering a culture of communication and teamwork, organizations can effectively address cyber threats and vulnerabilities from all angles.

Embracing smart city transformation is not just about adopting new technologies; it's about developing a holistic, secure and sustainable urban environment. Given the complexities of smart city transformation, cities need a capable partner to guide them through the transformation process, from initial assessments to implementation and ongoing management.

With decades of cybersecurity expertise and experience in successful OT and IT integrations, an expert partner like CDW can help cities innovate with emerging technology while securely managing their critical infrastructure. By addressing security challenges and leveraging expert guidance, cities can confidently stride toward a future where technology enhances both the quality of life and the resilience of urban spaces.