Month: March 2008
Rod Beckstrom and the National Cyber Security Center at DHS
I recently read some GREAT news. One of the nation’s greatest organizational/technological thinkers and entrepreneurs, Rod Beckstrom, has answered the call to service and will be joining the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Rod Beckstrom is
famous for many things. Among CTO s and enterprise technologists he is
viewed as a champion for the smart use of new collaborative
technologies to transform organizations. He is really far more than
that, however. He is one of a new generation of forward thinking
leaders who understand that sometimes in order to lead you must serve,
and sometimes in order to really lead you must adopt powerful new
organizational frameworks that enable disruption of the current order.
He is the co-author of the bestselling, frequently quoted, often
discussed "The Starfish and the Spider", which gives some hints at the powerful thinking Rod will bring to DHS.
The following is a quote from the Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff:
"I am pleased to announce my appointment of Rod Beckstrom as the first
Director of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC). Rod will serve
the department by coordinating cyber security efforts and improving
situational awareness and information sharing across the federal
government.The department is leading efforts to protect federal networks and
enhance capabilities that defend and reduce cyber-associated risks. The
NCSC will work with the interagency to implement cyber security
strategies in a cohesive way, consistent with our privacy laws.Rod has over 25 years of experience in designing and implementing
new internet technologies. He brings to the department a specialized
Internet expertise, and unique entrepreneurial and creative business
thinking. Rod received both his BA and MBA from Stanford University,
and was a Fulbright Scholar in Switzerland."
This news of Rod’s joining DHS is really very exciting.
So, Rod, good luck and thank you very much for deciding to serve the nation in this capacity.
Computer Security: a change to the net assessment
The threat to our computers and networks is very real. Dozens of millions of malicious bots have been projected to be operating in PCs. Hackers have penetrated sensitive, seemingly well protected corporate sites. Denial of service attacks have been conducted against businesses and even countries. And press reporting indicates even sensitive US government computers have been penetrated. Leaders in allied countries have been quoted in the press saying their PCs have been compromised as well.
On top of this, if you look at projections of the future computing environment, our dependencies on technology and the threat of vulnerabilities only increases (see my posting on the future titled "Good and Evil in the Future of Cyberspace").
So by any calculation, the assessment of our nation’s ability to succeed in cyberspace is in question. The net assessment is not looking so good.
But there are some very optimistic things happening in Cyberspace, and, with the right technological vision and leadership, we can make a significant change in the net assessment of that domain.
Let me give you an example that has me thinking very optimistically now.
I have a new computer on my desk. It is a SunRay 270 built by Sun Microsystems.
Here are some of its features:
Enhancing US Cybersecurity
A handful of articles have been written about the government’s Cyber Initiative. Reportedly this is an initiative to enhance the security posture of the nation. One recent one from UPI is at: Einstein and U.S. Cybersecurity.
As an outsider now, I’d like to point out a few observations regarding what I’ve seen in the press on the Cyber Initiative:
– The Einstein program is one element of this initiative. It is a way to enhance the security of US government networks.
– This type of program had previously been hard to implement because of organizational issues. But those have been resolved.
– The devil is in the details on programs like this, but leaders like Scott Charbo can ensure all the details are taken care of.
CTOvision Blog 