How the State of Arkansas Is Leading the Way on Secure Cloud Collaboration

In Arkansas, there’s a government agency that sets a high bar for secure collaboration — and it’s one you might not expect: The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC). In fact, AGFC’s CIO, David Castleberry, was named the 2024 Virtru Vanguard Award winner for State & Local Government. Castleberry and his team are dedicated to strong security and compliance, fiercely protecting their constituents’ data while maintaining the flow of vital information across government agencies.

The Result

With Virtru, the State of Arkansas is able to:

• Equip law enforcement officers, park rangers, and field officials to securely share CJIS data with other government agencies.

• Protect sensitive HR, IT, and law enforcement information shared via Gmail and Google Drive.

• Automate encryption to minimize the risk of human error.

Protecting Constituents’ Data in Google Cloud

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)  wanted to step up its data security in Google Cloud. Park rangers, field officials, and officers needed a way to securely share information with the state’s various law enforcement agencies while maintaining CJIS compliance (Criminal Justice Information Services). AGFC was steadily increasing its usage of cloud-based tools like Google Workspace (including Gmail and Google Drive), and the IT team wanted to make sure that sensitive information stored and shared via those cloud apps remained secure. 

AGFC also recognized that security could not hinder collaboration: When a law enforcement investigation was underway, for example, the AGFC team needed a fast, secure, and reliable way to share emails and files with agencies conducting the investigation. 

That’s when they discovered Virtru. 

Strengthening CJIS Compliance in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Workspace 

To meet their requirements for data security, compliance, and collaboration, AGFC turned to Virtru, deploying a combination of solutions for easy-to-use email encryption and secure file transfer.

1. Virtru for Gmail: Since email was the main way AGFC’s officers and field staff communicated sensitive data, Virtru for Gmail was implemented to provide seamless, client-side, end-to-end encryption. With this solution in place, AGFC could rest easy knowing that all emails containing sensitive CJIS data could be protected from unauthorized access.
   
   
2. Virtru Data Protection Gateway: To complement Virtru’s client-side encryption for Gmail, AGFC chose the Virtru Data Protection Gateway as an additional layer of security to support all mail clients. The gateway runs automatically in the background, helping to detect and protect any sensitive information before it leaves the organization’s network, whether it’s sent via Gmail, mobile devices, or other mail clients.
   
   
3. Virtru Secure Share: AGFC also needed a way to securely share large files. Virtru Secure Share made it easy for staff to send files too large for email, such as CJIS-related records and video footage, ensuring that only authorized recipients can access the data. It also allows external partners to share large files with them, providing encryption for inbound messages containing sensitive information. 

Increasing Government Efficiency and Collaboration

With Virtru’s encryption solutions in place, AGFC saw a huge improvement in both data security and efficiency. Officers, park rangers, and field staff could easily exchange sensitive information to get their jobs done, without worrying about any security or compliance gaps. Adding a layer of automated security with the Virtru Data Protection Gateway also provides peace of mind. Most importantly, staff can continue using the Google Workspace apps they already know and love, protecting their constituents’ data without any added friction.