cyber

Dan Chenok

Engaging leaders in protecting an organizations’ cyber, IT, and information assets is a critical starting point to effective security. A next logical step for any government or commercial organization is to leverage risk management and analytics to implement a mission-based security program. As organizations move forward, guidance from NIST and evolving capabilities in industry are merging to paint a path forward for agencies to follow.

Understanding the link between cybersecurity, physical assets and economic growth can help the government design an approach that provides both IT and economic security. A cyber incident can have physical impacts, while a physical incident can have cyber implications -- and both are likely to come with economic costs.

To foster a climate in which cyber and physical assets foster economic vitality, both risks must be addressed and technology must be seen as a key player in economic development.

This is the second blog post in a series that sums up highlights of sessions held as part of the annual meeting in mid-November of the National Academy of Public Administration. This panel was moderated by Karen S. Evans, National Director, Partner, US Cyber Challenge and KE&T Partners LLC (and former head of e-government in the Office of Management and Budget). Panelists Mark A. Forman, Vice President, IT Services and Cloud Initiatives Dan Chenok, Executive Director, IBM Center for The Business of Government Highlights Background.

This report is the product of a group of experts, which was convened by the Department of Computer Science at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). IUP brought together an interdisciplinary panel of experts in national security, international relations, foreign policy, information system network and security, public policy, and computer science. These experts participated in two collaborative roundtable meetings during the first six months of 2014. The report presents results from the roundtable discussions, as well as other research conducted by the author.

Customer Service. Federal News Radio interviewed GSA’s Martha Dorris about progress on the Administration’s goal to improve customer experience with government services. She says GSA is developing a digital “Voice of the Customer” toolkit for agencies that include a range of electronic approaches, such as the pilot “Feedback USA” button for instant feedback, and digital analytics to assess 4,000 federal websites. The Shrinking Millennials. According to Federal News Radio, :Federal agencies are finding it increasingly more difficult to recruit and retain younger employees. . .

FY2017 Budget – Open Data Format. The FY2017 budget was released in two formats this year. The traditional PDF download and for the first time, a separate site, which offers downloadable data and some high-level interactive ability to view the budget graphically by program area or agency. . . . .In addition, Government Executive highlights eleven “major reforms” in the budget, most of which it judges to be achievable. . . . Well, maybe not granting the president the authority to reorganize federal agencies on his own. DHS Proposes New Appropriations Structure.

The IBM Center for The Business of Government is committed to helping identify and distill the lessons learned from the past, identify current and new management initiatives and capacities that will be needed to address key challenges facing the country in the next administration, and offer ideas on implementation.