DHS

Private Sector Preparedness and Response in Boston: DHS for a Day X

September 22, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

By Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector Douglas A. Smith

The Private Sector Office hosted the tenth DHS for a Day on August 1^st, in Boston, Massachusetts. This ongoing initiative is one example of DHS’ commitment to collaborating with the private sector to share best practices and build valuable partnerships to keep our communities and businesses safer. The event highlighted opportunities for our private sector partners to support efforts to make our nation more prepared and resilient through programs like the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification (PS-Prep) Program and trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry or TSA Pre✓™ .

The day began at U.S. Coast Guard Base Boston, where participants received briefings on the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection Protective Security Advisor program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s, Emergency Management Institute (EMI). Founded over 60 years ago, EMI provides emergency response training to over two million public and private stakeholders each year on topics ranging from how to build public private partnerships, to how to develop and manage volunteers. Following these presentations, participants were briefed on the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission and role in emergency response and port security.

In the afternoon, participants traveled to Conley Terminal at the Boston Seaport, where Customs and Border Protection officials briefed them on the role DHS plays in border security, travel and trade facilitation.

Finally, participants went to Logan International Airport to observe several TSA risk based security initiatives, including TSA Pre✓™.

It is our hope participants left the tenth installment of DHS for a Day with a better understanding of the Department’s mission. As we plan the next event, we will look for new ways to continue to strengthen our partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders.

The Blog @ Homeland Security

Creating a Future-prepared, Digital Government Nowadays

June 25, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by Richard A. Spires, CIO

The Federal government released The Digital Government Strategy on May 23, 2012. This 12-month action plan for the deployment of new technology is designed to enable the delivery of digital information and services anytime, anywhere, on any device, safely and securely-throughout the Federal workforce and to the American public. This strategy was made possible through the collaboration of many throughout the federal government including, the Federal Chief Information Officer’s Council, the Federal Web Managers Council, and representatives from numerous departments and agencies. My thanks go to Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Steve VanRoekel and Federal Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Todd Park for their leadership in the development of this strategy.Cloud computing and the continual evolution of mobile devices, collaboration tools, computing power advances, and social media expansion are revolutionizing Information Technology (IT). These advances are changing the way business is conducted inside and outside the Federal government. Not only is this an exciting and novel transformation, it also brings a true opportunity to deliver real innovation with less.

As CIO of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), I know firsthand that the establishment of common standards and platforms and the use of new mobility capabilities are critical to leveraging data to meet the mission needs of this Department. Composed of 22 components, DHS is one of the largest Federal agencies. This size and diversity requires effective information sharing through advanced technology with sound security to support the Department’s critical mission. I will highlight two DHS initiatives underway-shared platform and mobility-that support the new digital government strategy.

DHS is committed to providing and supporting the shared platform for digital government. The BPA enables DHS to establish Web Content Management as a Service-commonly known as WCMaaS throughout the IT industry-which is an open source content management platform for hosting public Web sites and applications. Based on the Drupal Content Management System, an industry leading open source technology, this solution provides new and innovative capabilities, delivering improved citizen-centric capabilities while ensuring the adoption of solid Content Management System (CMS) services that support timely Web maintenance as well as increased capabilities for accurate content updates.

DHS also is committed to embracing mobility.
The use of laptops, smart phones, and tablets in government agencies continues to rapidly grow. Mobile computing enables the implementation of effective telework across the Federal government to ensure the continuity of operations as well as reduce management costs and the Federal government’s footprint, which ultimately leads to higher-performing and more efficient organizations.

Workplace as a Service (WPaaS) will provide a virtual desktop interface that looks and feels like a traditional desktop while leveraging the power, security, and data provided by the department’s two Enterprise Data Centers. This virtual desktop enables DHS personnel to perform their mission wherever there is access to the Internet or the DHS internal network, including through the use of handheld devices like smart phones and tablets. WPaaS delivers multiple benefits by replacing traditional desktops and laptops with virtual computing that provides as-needed operating systems and applications at monthly, pay-per-use service with scalability-all supported by a robust security model. WPaaS promises to reduce operating costs, increase operational flexibility, and simplify administrative management, while efficiently using resources by eliminating surpluses of outdated and underutilized equipment.

Future-ready, digital government.
The essential elements of interoperability and openness, reduced and transparent operational costs, strategic planning from the outset and effective portfolio and program governance ultimately enable the government to move to and effectively capitalize on new technologies in the 21st century. The Digital Government Strategy provides a solid execution plan to leverage the power of today’s technologies and provide more open, efficient, and effective services for the American public.

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted on CIO.gov.

The Blog @ Homeland Security

Demonstrating the Require for the Cybersecurity Legislation

March 15, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano

Combating cyber threats is a shared responsibility that requires broad engagement – from government and law enforcement to the private sector and most importantly, members of the public. No nation, sector, neighborhood or individual is immune to cyber dangers. DHS plays a crucial function in this work, the two in guarding federal networks and assisting owners and operators of crucial infrastructure to secure their networks by way of chance evaluation, mitigation, and incident response capabilities.

Above the past numerous weeks, we have mentioned the Administration’s cybersecurity legislative proposal and how the recently launched bill by Senators Lieberman, Collins, Rockefeller and Feinstein would provide the comprehensive resources we need to have to successfully deal with the total assortment of cyber threats facing our nation, whilst preserving privacy and civil liberties and respecting freedom, openness, and innovation.

This week, I participated in a cyber demonstration for senators hosted by Majority Leader Harry Reid to display how the federal government would respond to a main cyber incident and how legislative reform would increase that response. Together with leaders from across the federal government, I discussed how a cyber attack on America’s critical infrastructure could have broad impacts by disrupting crucial resources, resulting in billions of dollars in economic loss and even potential reduction of life.

This Administration believes in the innovation and experience of the private sector. We will function with critical infrastructure owners and operators to make certain the adoption of cybersecurity practices and technologies that function best on their networks in order to achieve a baseline level of cybersecurity. As component of this proposed legislation, DHS will conduct targeted risk assessments in consultation with the private sector and others to establish which techniques and assets are topic to the best and most immediate cyber threats. We will collaboratively define cybersecurity overall performance needs for these nationwide security, economically important, or life-sustaining services.

This week’s cyber demonstration also illustrated how a more powerful legal framework paired with stiffer penalties for cyber crimes and the removal of legal barriers to sharing information will guard the American public and the American financial system.

All sides agree that federal and private networks ought to be much better protected, and that details really should be shared much more easily, however nevertheless securely. Each the Administration’s proposal and the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 (S. 2105) would supply DHS with clear statutory authority commensurate with our cybersecurity responsibilities, although getting rid of legal barriers to the sharing of information. As the Secretary of Homeland Security, I strongly support S. 2105 since it addresses the need to have, the urgency, and the methodology for guarding our nation’s crucial infrastructure.

The time to act is now: we ought to improve cybersecurity coordination, strengthen our cybersecurity posture, and safe all components of our economic climate against this severe and growing threat, even though guarding privacy, confidentiality, and civil liberties. We appear forward to continuing our engagement with Congress in the days ahead to attain agreement on a bill that will move the Nation forward.

Examine about how the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 would enhance protections for the American public, advance government network security, and boost protection of crucial infrastructure.

The Weblog @ Homeland Security

Cybersecurity Legislation Would Improve Protection of Vital Infrastructure

February 28, 2012 by NASTTPO Editor Leave a Comment

Posted by Mark Weatherford, Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity

Last week, I talked about the not too long ago-introduced Cybersecurity Act of 2012 and the aspects of the legislation that would improve the protection of the federal executive branch networks and assist preserve the American public protected from theft, fraud, and loss of individual and monetary data. Nowadays I’d like to go over how the legislation would improve the safety and resiliency of the nation’s critical infrastructure — from banking and monetary methods, to power plants and electric grids, to transportation and shipping hubs.

DHS leads the nation’s vital infrastructure protection and cybersecurity efforts, but the federal government can’t do it alone. The huge vast majority of essential infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the landscape is continuously altering as new and more sophisticated threats emerge. DHS is focused on constructing and strengthening partnerships across all amounts of government and with the personal sector in order to improve data sharing, assistance cyber incident response, and make cyberspace basically safer and a lot more safe.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 clarifies DHS’ authority to provide support to sector and state, nearby, tribal and territorial governments and establishes a risk mitigation framework to make certain that companies supplying the Nation’s most crucial services are instituting a baseline degree of cybersecurity. This proposal would leverage the experience of the personal sector requiring the Nation’s most vital infrastructure adopt the cybersecurity practices and technologies that perform very best on their networks.

It also removes barriers to sharing cybersecurity data among industry and the federal government by offering immunity from other laws for the purpose of sharing this kind of cybersecurity info with DHS. At the exact same time, the legislation mandates robust privacy oversight, such as criminal penalties for misuse, to make sure that voluntarily shared info does not impinge on person privacy and civil liberties.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 aligns closely with the Administration’s cybersecurity legislative proposal, and will allow DHS and our partners to continue to perform with each other to safe cyberspace, defend our nation’s essential infrastructures, and advance our economic and security interests.

The Blog @ Homeland Security