MARION — Marion has been named a recipient in the 2022 Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program, Town Administrator James McGrail and Information Technology Director Clark Gee have announced.

Through this award, Marion will receive licenses for end user training, assessment and phishing simulation, procured and managed by the state. The town expects to train and assess approximately 55 employees regarding cybersecurity and detecting and avoiding cyber threats.

"As we continue to rely more and more on technology for everyday activities, it is important that we ensure everyone is able to recognize and avoid possible cyber threats," Gee said. "Cyber threats can target anyone at anytime, and making this training available to a large group of staff town wide will help us to remain digitally secure."

McGrail joined Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) Secretary Curt Wood and other municipal and school leaders from recipient communities at a ceremony on March 8 at Haverhill City Hall. At the ceremony, the 210 municipalities and public school district recipients were recognized.

The Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program, offered by the state Executive Office of Technology Services and Security Office of Municipal and School Technology, supports the efforts of municipalities and school districts to improve overall cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity is a growing issue that should not be ignored,” Polito said. “The Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program is an important resource for the Commonwealth’s local governments and public schools to address this issue head-on while increasing their cyber threat resiliency.”

The 2022 program will provide more than 57,000 employees from 210 municipalities and public school districts across the Commonwealth with cybersecurity training.