If you are an enterprise CTO I’m hoping you already have the site of the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) bookmarked. It it has been a while since you have seen their site please check it out at http://www.us-cert.gov They provide important resources for any enterprise technologist, not just security professionals.
Organizationally they have a team of strong cyber players that have been honing their craft for years. The US CERT serves a significant mission– they are there to strengthen the defense of the Federal government’s networks, especially those in the civil executive branch (the “.gov” of the Internet). In executing that mission they help many others and are a critically important part of our nation’s defensive fabric. The US CERT is run by the National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Today the US CERT opened its new operations center. Their facility is called the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). It is a “Unified Operations Center” designed to enable the co-location of other key components of the NCSD and DHS, including the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC), the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), and the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). This new operations center also hosts liaison officers from many other related watch centers which will make it a key information clearing house and a critically important capability for the nation.
I was allowed into the combined watch floor today and was excited to see the tremendous visualizations analysts and watchstanders will be able to leverage as they seek enhanced situational awareness. Even though all the organizations in this room have different “chains of command” they all share common needs for fast, accurate information and their ability to dialog over visualizations will enhance their ability to jointly figure out what is going on.
On a personal note: I am very optimistic about this new unified operations center and its ability to make a positive impact– and– although I have seen and believe in the technology they are using, the real reason I’m so positive is the quality of leaders involved. I’m upbeat because of the folks I know who are driving the right actions. They include Phil Reitinger , a savvy professional and executive with understanding of the law and technology and mission, RADM Mike Brown, one of of our nation’s greatest military leaders and a key driver of our nation’s cyber posture for over a decade, and a past associate from DIA who had been responsible for ensuring the DoD’s JWICS network survived and thrived and continually enhanced support to the DoD mission. These folks have many hard tasks ahead and their work is by no means complete but they are some of the best the nation has and deserve our collective support.
Related Reading
- The Report The Cybersecurity Commission Should Have Sent To the President and President Elect
- A Fierce Domain: Conflict in Cyberspace
- The Bill Codifying The New Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Is Short and Sweet
- Working in Cybersecurity: Life on the front lines, in the C-suite, and everywhere in-between
- Leveraging The FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT) To Improve Corporate Culture and Raise Security Posture
- CISO-as-a-Service: When your enterprise needs cybersecurity expertise on demand
- Business Decisions Require New Insights Into The Age of Geopolitical Risk
