May 22, 2006
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GovExec.com (04/25/06) Pulliam, Daniel
A presidential advisory council has released guidelines for coordinating cybersecurity research and development among different federal agencies. Released last week by the National Science and Technology Council, the Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development involved members of more than 20 federal entities. The plan calls for the creation of standard cybersecurity metrics and other measures to inform researchers of the government's priorities, said Simon Szykman, director of the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development. While the blueprint was developed solely by government officials, true coordination will be an ongoing effort that will include public comments and workshops to provide a forum for the private sector. "Certainly having a plan is one thing and executing it is another," said Szykman. "This group of people was focused on the [research and development] issues and understanding the existing issues and the priorities." The document is notable for its call for metrics and its emphasis on emerging technologies and incorporating security at the beginning of any deployment, though it is remiss in not defining how recipients of federal funding are to be held accountable, said Alan Paller, research director of the SANS Institute. "Researchers are going to look at this as justification for anything they want to do," said Paller. Gartner's John Pescatore says the blueprint should have identified specific areas where the government could fill in the gaps in research and development left by the market.
For the complete article, see http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33927&dcn=todaysnews
Posted by rab5 at 05:57 PM
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