CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Mecklenburg County commissioners approved a $2.3 million request for cyber security upgrades Tuesday night.

This request is in response to last year's ransomware attack when hackers froze dozens of county servers.  A majority of the funding will go towards prevention, network access policies, backup data and security operations.

"These are fundamental for an organization,” Republican Mecklenburg County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour says. “These are things that we need to have.”

County staff say this request is in response to last December’s ransomware attack where hackers froze 48 of the county’s 500 servers, demanding two bitcoin to release them.

Mecklenburg County commissioners have already invested about $16 million for cyber security over the past three years.

However, county staff believe an additional $2.3 million would help them make even more immediate improvements in the areas of prevention, data, and security operations.

Back in December, it took the county months to restore all of its servers after the ransomware attack, which is why it is now trying to find more ways to protect its information.

A close look at the county’s request reveals that I.T. wants $600,000 for equipment that tracks county network activity and potential threats, as well as an additional $500,000 for back-up data.

Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour says this request will help the county get the tools it needs sooner rather than later, helping them become more proactive, instead of reactive.