The Wall Street Journal just ran an article titled:  “New Military Command to Focus on Cybersecurity.”   In it they indicate “current and former officials familiar with the plans” say a new military command will be established to coordinate the defense of Pentagon computer networks and improve US offensive capabilities in cyberwar. WSJ also...
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Have you ever been sucked into the false debate over how much IT spending should be spent on security?  I used to all the time.  Some folks point to a rule of thumb that goes something like “ten percent of the IT budget should be applied to security.”  That old school formula may well...
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A debate has been running for months both among government thought leaders and the technical literati on whether or not the US should appoint a “Cyber Czar” who can exert authority over IT security in the federal space or perhaps even aspects of the nation’s IT defenses.  This is a complex discussion that has...
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If you are a technologist, please take a moment to download the PDF of the report by the U.S. Commission on Cybersecurity.  This report, titled Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency, is the best proclamation of the challenges of cyber I have read.  It is also a roadmap that will help any trying to...
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In May 2008 I provided an overview of Standards Organizations CTOs Should Track.  Standards groups don’t change that fast, so the list is still pretty much ok, but I was very light on industry consortia.  Industry groups can play a large role in setting and implementing standards.  Industry reps send the majority of thinkers...
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There are some interesting analogies between performance management applied to organizations and performance management applied to computers. In both cases, performance metrics are crucial to success.  In organizations, what we reward gets measured, and what gets measured can be more efficiently and effectively done.   In our computers, what we decide is important gets measured,...
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ITIL is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a set of tips, techniques, processes and concepts for managing an IT enterprise.  ITIL focuses on infrastructure, application development and operations. ITIL is without a doubt the most widely accepted approach to enterprise management.  It provides a full set of best practices. I’ve come to believe that...
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I recently finished a visit to one of our nation’s greatest intellectual resources, the school of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.   The incredible work being accomplished at the university includes the globally famous Software Engineering Institute and the equally renowned CERT/CC.  CMU also serves the nation by hosting and supporting Cylab.   More on...
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