The StateScoop, a leading media entity covering state and local government technology has named Larimer County Chief Information Officer Mark Pfaffinger and its IT Department as a recipient of the Fourth Annual 2022 LocalSmart Awards which recognizes people and projects that make county and city government better.

He was nominated in the Golden Gov County Executive of the Year category. As Chief Information Officer, Pfaffinger and his staff have helped Larimer County improve operational efficiency, and services to citizens by responding to changes in cybersecurity, adding more layers of security for the county’s remote and hybrid workers.

“I don’t do this myself without my team behind me. My staff are the ones that make the magic happen and I thank them for all the work they did to truly bring us to the level of protection we have while not impacting user experience which was something we’ve tried to do from the get-go, said Pfaffinger. “We didn’t want to make technology uncomfortable for users but instead be seamless,” he said.

The county and Pfaffinger were awarded for their project that implements the Zero Trust Security Model --- similar to when you turn on your computer at home and you’re protected when you are connected and don’t have to worry about it. The technology behind that, which is not often used in local government, was implemented by Larimer County, Pfaffinger explained.

Pfaffinger was nominated by an outside technology vendor that Larimer County partners with, whose specific focus is IT security. The vendor chose to nominate Pfaffinger specifically for the award after seeing the work that Larimer County IT has done to enhance its security. He was one of only 40 others nominated nationwide to receive the award.  

Pfaffinger will also be a featured speaker at the upcoming state conference of Colorado Counties Incorporated and will be part of a panel to cover cybersecurity.

The LocalSmart Awards have recognized more than 150 individuals and projects since their inception in 2019. This year’s awards recognize leaders from 15 different states, as technology continues to play a vital role in residents’ lives.