The American Rescue Plan (ARP) is a $1.9 trillion piece of legislation passed by the US Congress and signed into law by President Biden in March 2021. The primary purpose of this bill is to respond to the economic impacts caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s important to understand that ARP is not one large sum of money, but rather it appropriates funding into several new and existing programs. North Carolina will receive more than $5.7 billion from ARP.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Treasury released guidelines on how the funding may be used by state and local governments. ARP funding is meant to be used broadly so that governments can respond in the way that is most effective for them. State and local fiscal recovery funds must demonstrate how they respond to the public health or the economic impact of COVID-19.
NC government agencies can spend funding on a variety of IT improvements including modernizing their cybersecurity offerings, environmental remediation, school or educational services, and more.
Here are some ways state and local government can utilize the funding:
- Modernize backup with ransomware-proof data protection solutions
- Leverage a managed SOC to detect intrusions and remediate findings without adding headcount
- Ensure continuity of critical services by implementing VMware-based Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) to protect critical data and systems
- Leverage next-generation endpoint management software to identify vulnerabilities and close them instantly
Organizations can request funding on the US Treasury website. For more information about ARP or to learn how we can help with these projects, contact us today.