A national conference being held in Omaha this week is designed to help counties learn better ways to protect their computer networks from hackers.

The National Association of Counties event began Wednesday at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and it will continue through Friday.

The sessions will focus on strategies counties can take to protect the sensitive data they hold about court records, taxes and employees.

Douglas County Commissioner Chris Rodgers says it’s critical for counties to have up-to-date cyber security plans. Rodgers is president of the national counties group.

The conference is also sponsored by AT&T and the Peter Kiewit Institute.