Since the start of San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order in March, SFPUC Cyber Security Information Officer Ramsey Williams’ role has shifted from Cyber Security operations to supporting the agency’s Department Operations Center (DOC) workplace continuity planning. Williams is now leading the SFPUC health screening efforts – work that has been critical in keeping the SFPUC’s employees and essential workers across all its service areas safe during the pandemic.
“From critical infrastructure perspective, it was interesting to see the essential operational sites focused on providing services to our customers,” said Williams. “I found it gratifying to know, I was part of the support structure in place to keep those folks safe.”
In these past few weeks, Williams has played a critical role alongside the SFPUC’s Healthy and Safety team in launching the agency’s health screening process. From sourcing contact-less infrared thermometers, training staff across the SFPUC’s different facilities on how to properly administer the screenings, to leveraging the new health screening app developed by fellow information technology colleagues Raman Virk and Alex Goretsky.
“This is everyone’s first pandemic at this scale and we are all learning as we go,” said Williams. “Like many other City agencies, we are working to keep all our front-line and essential workers safe. With that, we have issued in a new era of how we are operating at our facilities.”
True to Williams’ cyber security roots, he reminds of another pandemic related precaution everyone should all be taking. “COVID-19 specific cyber-attacks have increased over the last few months. Please be mindful when clicking on email links in suspicious emails.”
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