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Nevada

A statewide ransomware attack reset Nevada's security agenda, a new centralized SOC is standing up under the Governor's CIO, and northern Nevada is becoming one of the world's largest AI data-center markets.

Last updated Oct 1, 2026
$56.7B2025–27 Biennial BudgetGov's Tech Office (OCIO)Central ITNASPO ValuePointPrimary IT VehicleAug 2025 attackCyber Catalyst

Top Accounts in Nevada

2 accounts · market intel companion

State Agencies 1

State Agency
Nevada Dept of Administration

Counties 1

County
Clark County, Nevada

Executive Summary

$56.7B1
2025–27 Biennial Budget
Legislatively approved, +6.1% over prior biennium
28 days4
Cyber recovery
Aug 2025 attack; 60+ agencies; no ransom paid
~$1.5M5
Incident response spend
External vendor support for the 2025 attack
$416M8
BEAD broadband allocation
$170M+ unlocked; deployment from mid-2026

Nevada budgets biennially; the legislatively approved 2025–27 budget is roughly $56.7B. Three shifts define the technology landscape for SLG sellers. First, security: a major ransomware attack in August 2025 took 60+ state agencies offline for up to 28 days, and the state's response — refusing the ransom, recovering ~90% of data, and standing up a centralized Security Operations Center via special-session legislation (AB1) — has made cyber resilience the top funded priority. Second, organization: enterprise IT moved out of the Department of Administration into the Office of the CIO inside the Governor's Office (the Governor's Technology Office), centralizing strategy under State CIO Tim Galluzi. Third, infrastructure: the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center has become one of the world's largest AI data-center clusters (Google, Switch, Apple, Vantage, Novva, PowerHouse), a major tailwind for Dell ISG/AI demand. The buying motion runs largely through NASPO ValuePoint cooperative contracts and the State Purchasing Division.

Where Dell can play
  • Whole-of-state cybersecurity rebuild post-attack: secure compute, backup/recovery, SOC tooling, and managed services tied to AB1 and the new statewide SOC.
  • AI-infrastructure demand from the Tahoe Reno / TRIC data-center cluster and from in-house AI-enhanced app development at the Governor's Technology Office.
  • CORE.NV ERP modernization (financials live; HR/payroll deployed) — infrastructure, reporting, and lifecycle needs as it enters its optimization phase.
  • Endpoint, client, and lifecycle refresh and resilient backup across 60+ agencies hardening after the 2025 incident.

Dell Action Plan

  • Lead with cyber resilience: position backup/recovery, endpoint security, identity, and SOC-enablement infrastructure tied to AB1 and the agencies hardening after the 2025 attack.
  • Engage the Governor's Technology Office (OCIO) as the central account standing up the statewide SOC — secure compute, monitoring infrastructure, and managed services.
  • Tie Dell ISG / AI Factory offerings to the Tahoe Reno / TRIC data-center cluster and to the OCIO's AI-enhanced in-house development push.
  • Confirm Dell and reseller positions on relevant NASPO ValuePoint master agreements and Nevada statewide/cloud contracts before pursuing deals.
  • Map services to CORE.NV's optimization phase and to NSHE (UNLV/UNR) research-computing buyers for AI-infrastructure and lifecycle opportunities.

Budget & Fiscal

Nevada budgets on a two-year (biennial) cycle. The 83rd Legislature approved a 2025–27 budget of roughly $56.7B all funds — up about 6.1% over the prior biennium. There is no single 'state IT budget' line; technology spend is distributed across agencies and the internal-service rates of the Governor's Technology Office (OCIO), with discrete funding attached to named initiatives such as the statewide SOC and broadband deployment.

$56.7B1
2025–27 all-funds budget
Legislatively approved
~$11B1
General Fund (biennial)
Lombardo executive budget framing
$416M8
Federal BEAD broadband
Administered by OSIT
Technology & security funding this biennium
BEAD broadband (federal)
$170M+ unlocked; mid-2026 build start $416M
2025 cyber incident response
External vendor support ~$1.5M
New cyber initiatives (FY26)
Threat analysis + SOC expansion ~$300K
  • Budget figures are biennial (two-year) totals unless noted.
  • Most state technology is funded through the Governor's Technology Office internal-service rates and individual agency budgets, not a single statewide IT line — confirm the funding owner before forecasting.

Initiatives & Policy

Statewide Security Operations Center (AB1)3

Standing up

After the August 2025 ransomware attack, a special session passed AB1, creating a centralized SOC under the Office of the CIO, a Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline Program, annual SOC reporting, and authority for school districts and underserved communities to use state cyber services. Operationalizing the SOC is the CIO's top 2026 priority — a greenfield need for secure compute, monitoring, backup/recovery, and managed services.

Dell fit80
Budget strength70
CybersecurityWhole-of-StateSOC

Cyber Resilience Rebuild (post-attack)4

Active

The 2025 attack — traced to a malware download in May, deployed in August, taking 60+ agencies offline for up to 28 days — exposed gaps that the state is now closing across 60+ agencies. The 90% recovery without paying ransom validated pre-negotiated vendor agreements and playbooks; agencies are hardening endpoints, identity, and resilient backup, an immediate Dell opening.

Dell fit75
Budget strength55
CybersecurityBackup & RecoveryModernization

Tahoe Reno / TRIC AI Data-Center Cluster6

Accelerating

The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center — larger than the city of Detroit — has become one of the world's largest data-center markets, with Google (1,210 acres), Switch (potentially 7M+ sq ft), Apple, Vantage, Novva, EdgeCore, and PowerHouse building or expanding. The AI buildout is the strongest tailwind for Dell ISG and AI-infrastructure demand in the state.

Dell fit90
Budget strength85
AI InfrastructureData CentersEconomic Dev

CORE.NV ERP Modernization2

In progress

Nevada's enterprise resource planning overhaul delivered its core financial module in January 2025 and payroll/HR in October 2025, entering an optimization ('Achieve') phase in 2026 focused on reporting and metrics. A long-running modernization with infrastructure, integration, and lifecycle needs.

Dell fit60
Budget strength55
ERPModernizationCloud

AI-Enhanced In-House Development & AI Policy7

Emerging

The Governor's Technology Office is bringing application development back in-house, with the CIO noting one developer can now do the work of three or four using AI tooling. Nevada has issued a Policy on the Responsible and Ethical Use of AI signed by the CIO — a pragmatic stance that favors governed, auditable AI and opens a door for private/on-prem AI on sensitive workloads.

Dell fit65
Budget strength40
AIPolicyProductivity

Procurement & Competition

Nevada's central technology authority sits with the Governor's Technology Office / Office of the CIO (formerly the EITS Division), which moved into the Governor's Office in 2023. Statewide purchasing runs through the State Purchasing Division, which leans heavily on NASPO ValuePoint cooperative contracts (NASPO's lead-state cooperative model) — including statewide Cloud Solutions contracts — usable by state agencies, counties, cities, K-12, and higher education via participating addenda.

Vehicle / gateWhat it means for Dell
NASPO ValuePointPrimary cooperative vehicle. Lead-state, pre-competed contracts (including Cloud Solutions) adopted by Nevada via participating addenda; open to state, local, K-12, and higher-ed. Confirm Dell/reseller positions on relevant master agreements.
State Purchasing Division statewide contractsNevada-administered statewide contracts and addenda layered on cooperative agreements; the central buying motion for state agencies.
Governor's Technology Office (OCIO) services & ratesInternal-service catalog and rates through which agencies consume shared IT; a path to standardize compute, endpoints, and managed services.
Key buying entityRole
Governor's Technology Office / OCIOCentral IT strategy, security, and shared services under the State CIO; now owns the statewide SOC.
State Purchasing Division (Dept. of Administration)Statewide procurement authority; administers NASPO ValuePoint addenda and statewide contracts.
OSIT (Office of Science, Innovation & Technology)Administers the $416M BEAD broadband program and tech/innovation strategy.
NSHE — UNLV & UNRLarge independent research-computing and AI-infrastructure buyers; procure via BCN Purchasing and NASPO.
Competitive landscape

Nevada is a cooperative-contract-driven market where NASPO ValuePoint positioning matters more than one-off RFPs. Post-attack, differentiation comes from resilient/secure offerings (backup, recovery, SOC enablement), AI-infrastructure capability tied to the TRIC cluster, and services that map to the SOC stand-up and CORE.NV rather than price alone.

Power Structure

Decision-makerWhy they matter
Joe Lombardo14
Governor · State of Nevada		Called the special session that passed the SOC bill (AB1); backs a pragmatic AI and cyber-resilience agenda. Won the June 9, 2026 GOP primary and faces AG Aaron Ford (D) on Nov. 3 — a competitive race, so cabinet continuity (incl. CIO) is not assured past January.
Timothy Galluzi2
State Chief Information Officer · Governor's Technology Office (OCIO)		Cabinet-level CIO; named to GovTech's Top 25 for 2026. Owns SOC stand-up, CORE.NV, the GovRAMP mandate, and AI direction.
Michael D. Smith11
Chief Technology Officer · Governor's Technology Office		Named CTO May 25, 2026; decade-plus in Nevada state IT (enterprise services, architecture). Field-delivery focus across agency partners.
Bertrum Carroll13
State Chief Information Security Officer · Office of Information Security & Cyber Defense (OISCD), Governor's Technology Office		Named State CISO March 30, 2026, succeeding Bob Dehnhardt (retired May 2025). 20+ yrs private-sector infosec (Employers, SC Johnson, Johnson Controls); retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. Owns risk management, incident response, and security governance across the executive branch — the key relationship for the post-attack security rebuild and SOC.
State Purchasing Division
Statewide procurement · Dept. of Administration		Administers NASPO ValuePoint addenda and statewide IT/cloud contracts — the buying gate; enforces the GovRAMP cloud-security path from July 1, 2026.
Office of Science, Innovation & Technology (OSIT)8
Broadband & innovation · Governor's Office		Administers the $416M BEAD broadband program; partner for connectivity-adjacent deals.

News & Signals

Sep 2026
CybersecurityBudget
One year after ransomware attack, Nevada details ~$14M in cyber upgrades, zero-trust plans, third-party cloud review22
Marking one year since the August 2025 ransomware attack that disrupted state services, Nevada reports investing roughly $14M in cybersecurity upgrades, including expanded MFA, tighter login requirements, a third-party review process for cloud technology, a four-tier data-classification standard, a centralized statewide Security Operations Center, and Zero Trust architecture as a named modernization priority; the after-action report shows essential services restored within 28 days and about 90% of impacted data recovered without paying the ransom. For a Dell SLG seller this signals sustained, funded Nevada demand for cybersecurity, zero-trust, cloud-security review, backup/recovery and data-governance tooling.
Sep 2026
Data CenterPolicy
Lombardo signs EO 2026-005 setting data-center guardrails; curtails tax breaks, requires ratepayer/water/grid protections21
Gov. Joe Lombardo signed Executive Order 2026-005 establishing the 'Nevada Standard for Responsible Data Center Development,' barring data centers seeking partial tax abatements from the GOED Board unless they pay the Local School Support Tax in full and sign a binding Community Support Commitment covering all project power costs (no ratepayer pass-through), local water standards, and grid-reliability protections; it also directs a 'Responsible Speed to Power Plan' for large loads through 2036. The order takes effect immediately but binds only companies seeking new state tax breaks. For a Dell SLG seller this signals a hardening state incentive-and-accountability framework around AI/data-center infrastructure that shapes project economics, siting, and where compute-intensive workloads land in Nevada.
Sep 2026
Data-CenterEnergy
PUCN to rule on Fleet Data Centers' bid for two private gas plants to power TRIC AI campuses off-grid20
Fleet Data Centers (a Tract Capital subsidiary) asked the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to approve two large private methane-gas plants to power its Peru Ridge and South Valley TRIC campuses — potentially the first gas power supply approved specifically for data-center use in Nevada, and a route that would skirt the state's renewable-energy requirements — with a PUCN decision expected Sept. 8. Fleet says data-center growth at TRIC is outpacing NV Energy's ability to build permanent infrastructure. For a Dell SLG seller, behind-the-meter generation deals underscore the power constraints throttling Nevada's AI buildout and the energy economics determining where and how fast compute capacity comes online.
Aug 2026
Data-CenterEnergyLegal
NV Energy sues Tract in first-of-its-kind Nevada fight over who pays for the AI data-center buildout19
NV Energy filed a first-of-its-kind suit against data-center developer Tract, whose two planned TRIC campuses near Reno would together draw more than 2 gigawatts — nearly a third of NV Energy's generating capacity — warning it may have to raise rates on ordinary customers if Tract does not shoulder more of the infrastructure costs. The dispute crystallizes the cost-allocation and grid-strain tensions accompanying Northern Nevada's hyperscale surge. For a Dell SLG seller, litigation over large-load cost responsibility shapes the economics and timelines governing where Nevada compute capacity gets built and signals rising scrutiny of the AI-infrastructure boom.
Aug 2026
Data-CenterPolicy
Nye County becomes first Nevada municipality to outright ban data centers in over-appropriated Basin 162 (Pahrump)18
The Nye County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on Aug. 18-19 to ban the construction and operation of data centers in Nevada's Hydrographic Basin 162 (the Pahrump Valley), becoming the first municipality in the state to enact an outright ban, following a June county-wide moratorium and a May water-district emergency order. The ban effectively blocks Gigawatt Development Partners' proposed 900-acre Manse Technology Campus, and commissioners set a Sept. 14 meeting to draft land-use rules for facilities elsewhere in the county. For a Dell SLG seller, water-driven local bans and moratoriums (Reno's runs through Aug 2027) constrain where private hyperscale capacity can be sited in Nevada and signal a more governed environment for AI-infrastructure demand.
Jul 22 2026
LeadershipCybersecurityAI
Governor's Technology Office creates first State Chief Privacy Officer role17
The new CPO (working title also General Counsel) reports directly to CIO Galluzi and will centralize privacy policy, training, and controls across cybersecurity, AI governance, and data-sharing — explicitly motivated by 'our event last year' (the 2025 ransomware attack) and growing AI-driven data sharing between agencies. Signals continued security/governance maturation post-attack and a new relationship to build for governed, on-prem AI and data-protection offerings.
Jun 2026
LeadershipElection
Lombardo wins GOP gubernatorial primary; faces AG Aaron Ford in November14
2026 is a Nevada gubernatorial election year. Incumbent Gov. Lombardo (R) advanced June 9 and meets AG Aaron Ford (D) on Nov. 3 in a competitive race — leadership continuity at the Governor's Technology Office (incl. CIO Galluzi) is not guaranteed past January; build durable agency-level relationships now.
Jun 2026
AI InfrastructureData Centers
Northern Nevada AI data-center buildout keeps accelerating into mid-202615
Vantage's ~$3B NV1 campus near Reno (224MW, 1M+ sq ft) opens its first building in Q2 2026 and Centra topped out its second Reno facility (RNO2) in June — sustaining the strongest tailwind for Dell ISG / AI-infrastructure demand in the state.
May 2026
Leadership
Nevada names Michael D. Smith as Governor's Technology Office CTO11
New enterprise-tech leader under CIO Galluzi; a fresh relationship for infrastructure, architecture, and modernization positioning.
Mar 2026
LeadershipCybersecurity
Nevada names Bertrum Carroll as State CISO13
First permanent State CISO since Bob Dehnhardt's May 2025 retirement; owns risk management, incident response, and security governance across the executive branch — the new top relationship for the post-attack security rebuild and SOC stand-up.
Mar 2026
CybersecurityProcurementCloud
Nevada mandates GovRAMP for cloud security (effective July 1, 2026)12
After July 2026 no new contracts execute without GovRAMP progress; FedRAMP-authorized vendors get a 30-day Fast Track — a procurement gate Dell and cloud partners must clear to sell.
Jan 2026
DataCybersecurityPolicy
Nevada issues statewide data-classification policy16
GTO Chief Data Officer sets four data tiers as the foundation for forthcoming MFA, logging, and encryption standards — shaping cloud/security vendor requirements and a hook for governed-data and secure-infrastructure offerings.

Sources

  1. Guinn Center — Legislatively Approved Budget, 2025–27 Biennium
  2. GovTech — How Nevada's CIO Will Build on Year's Cyber Lessons in 2026
  3. KOLO TV — Lombardo to sign bills on cybersecurity, healthcare and workforce capacity (AB1)
  4. Nevada Independent — Nevada didn't pay ransom; spent $1.5M on response
  5. Cybersecurity Dive — Nevada ransomware attack traced to malware download
  6. MIT Technology Review — The data center boom in the desert (Tahoe Reno)
  7. Nevada Governor's Technology Office — Policy on Responsible & Ethical Use of AI
  8. News3LV — Federal approval unlocks $170M of Nevada's $416M BEAD allocation
  9. Nevada State Purchasing Division — Cloud Solutions / statewide contracts
  10. Nevada Governor's Technology Office (OCIO) — it.nv.gov
  11. Nevada GTO — Announces Michael D. Smith as Chief Technology Officer (May 2026)
  12. Nevada GTO — Nevada Mandates GovRAMP for Standardized Cloud Cybersecurity (March 2026)
  13. GovTech — Nevada Names Bertrum Carroll as State CISO (March 2026)
  14. NBC News — Lombardo, Ford win Nevada governor primaries (June 2026)
  15. Vantage Data Centers — $3B NV1 AI campus, Reno/Storey County
  16. StateScoop — Nevada unveils policy for consistent statewide data classification (Jan 2026)
  17. GovTech — Nevada's New Executive Role Goes Well Beyond Privacy (Jul 22, 2026)
  18. Nevada Current — Nye County totally bans data centers in over-appropriated water basin
  19. CBS News — Nevada energy company sues data center in first-of-its-kind fight over who should pay for AI buildout
  20. This Is Reno — Private gas plants to power data centers would skirt state's renewable energy law
  21. FOX5 Las Vegas — Lombardo signs executive order setting standards for data center development
  22. Hoodline — One Year After Ransomware Attack, Nevada Strengthens Cyber Defenses With Zero Trust Plans