Town of Lexington to Change to .gov URL, Seeking Increased Cybersecurity

In an attempt to secure a more credible online presence and enhanced cybersecurity, the Town of Lexington transitions to a .gov domain.

Lexington is preparing to become the third municipality in the county to operate under a .gov domain, following the precedents set by Cayce, West Columbia, and the small town of Swansea.

Decision to Switch

In August 2023, the Town Council of Lexington unanimously decided to transition from its current .com domain to .gov. The Director of Planning, Building, and Technology for town, John Hanson, affirms that while the switch comes cost-free, as a .gov domain does not command a yearly fee, its real value lies in the enhanced security and legitimacy it provides.

“The .gov domain is administered by an agency within Homeland Security,” he stated, “which ensures only legitimate government entities can use it, thus bolstering the security and credibility of government websites.”

Additional Benefits

Apart from the added level of professionalism, this move makes it more challenging for scammers to impersonate authentic websites. Hanson went on to emphasize the benefits of this transition: “By transitioning to a .gov domain, the town can provide its residents with a more secure, credible, and compliant online presence, allowing them to readily access official information and services.”

Moreover, the change will ensure that both the town’s domain and its issued emails will transition to .gov. This preemptive measure further minimizes the town’s vulnerability to cyber threats and possible hacking attempts.

Transition Period

However, this transition process won’t be quick nor easy. According to Hanson, for a municipality the size of Lexington, it will take about 1.5 years to fully complete the transition. The duration of the changeover will greatly depend on various factors like website complexity, the need for redirects, and the level of required support.

Origins of the Transition

The idea for this initiative was originally proposed in July 2023 by the then IT manager of the town, Bea Daniels, during a council workshop. She argued that the .com domain was never a suitable choice for a governing body like Lexington Town as it was designed for commercial use – an area the town did not indulge in.

“We’re not a business, we’re not e-commerce, and we don’t do advertising. So, we need to move away from that domain to easily be recognized as a government,” she had rightly argued.