The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Metropolitan Information Exchange (MIX) today jointly released the results of a survey of state and local government information security officers conducted last August.

The surveys indicate that a lot of work remains to be done to improve training, funding and communication efforts at the federal, state and local levels to secure cyberspace, said U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) in a statement.

"The department is falling short in fulfilling its basic obligations to state and local governments," Thompson said. "Despite the many working groups, documented strategies and reports, there remains a disconnect" that has left state and local governments ill-prepared for cyberthreats, he said.

NASCIO is a nonpartisan group that represents state chief information officers and managers from the 50 states. Its survey was based on responses from 27 state chief information security officers (CISO). MIX is an association of county and municipal CIOs. Its results were based on responses from 23 local government IT managers.

The purpose of the survey was not to criticize the DHS but to provide "constructive advice" on how to advance the nation's cybersecurity efforts, said Denise Moore, CIO of the state of Kansas at a press conference today.