After the creation of the federal CIO and federal CTO to lead the government's adoption of technology, the Obama administration finally followed up with the next logical addition to the White House C-suite: the federal chief information security officer.
With cyberattacks—and awareness—on the rise, the new federal CISO will lead discussions on cybersecurity policy and coordinate with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community to security federal networks.
"That's a key role that many private-sector companies have long implemented and it's good practice for the federal government," Federal CIO Tony Scott said ahead of the president's budget rollout, which includes more than $19 billion in funding for cybersecurity.
The president included funding for the federal CISO in his 2017 budget proposal, as well, but the administration plans to fill the position within the next 60 to 90 days, Scott said.
The new role will work closely with the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for protecting federal civilian networks. However, the position will be housed in the Office of Management and Budget.
"One of the things that's unique about OMB, it has both management and budget responsibilities," Scott noted. "Those are both two powerful things that can help shape and influence practice in each agency."
Scott's team at OMB's Office of E-Government and Information Technology (E-Gov) have been responsible for setting cybersecurity policy for civilian agencies and will continue to do so, now under the direction of an information security expert with that as their sole responsibility.
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
