The recent allocation of $1 billion in cybersecurity funding1 for state and local governments shores up a critical weak point that has left them open to devastating ransomware attacks: limited budgets that are already stretched thin. The federal funds are included in the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Biden recently signed into law. With a cash infusion in the pipeline, states, counties, cities, and towns will soon have the means to protect themselves. But money alone won’t be enough. To keep ransomware at bay, effective strategies and proven technologies will need to be implemented and then supported for the long haul.