The partnership between the Arizona town and the Bangalore-based business support firm will see Subex focus its operations on strengthening the security of Florence’s public infrastructure as the town aims to become a smart city.

>See also: Creating a smart city needs collaboration and open infrastructure

Based within the Phoenix metropolitan area, the town is one of the first in the United States to acquire Subex’s cybersecurity services.

“This is more than just a typical contract,” said Town Manager of Florence, Arizona, Brent Billingsley. “This is an agreement by which the Town of Florence is a partner with Subex in developing cutting-edge technology that can be marketed to other private, non-profit, and government customers.

“This is a really exciting enterprise and a cool partnership for Florence.”

Additionally, CEO of Subex, Vinod Kumar was keen to express his excitement regarding the development.

“On the one hand, we will be helping Florence defend its assets while shoring up its cybersecurity defence capabilities,” Kumar said.

“On the other, this partnership will improve awareness among cities on the urgent need to improve cybersecurity and vigilance measures.

“This will go a long way in improving stakeholder confidence.”

>See also: 5 cyber security best practices for 2018: From culture to coping with BYOD

The development could also go a long way in keeping the rising amount of cyber attack capabilities at bay; according to the World Economic Forum, cybercrimes cost the global economy a total of $445 billion in 2017 alone.

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