It's official, we finally have national cybersecurity
leadership. Fulfilling the
commitment he made in May of this year, it was announced on The Whitehouse Blog this morning that
President Obama has selected Howard Schmidt as the White House Cybersecurity
Coordinator.
Rumors have been swirling for months now of people
who were turning the job down because it was being positioned to report to two
masters, the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. That appears to have been resolved with Mr. Schmidt reporting to deputy national
security adviser John O. Brennan but also having "regular access
to the president."
In
a video posted on the White House Blog, Mr. Schmidt said, "The President has
directed me to focus on a several priority areas. Developing a new and comprehensive strategy to secure
American networks, ensuring an organized, unified response to future cyber
incidents, strengthening public-private partnerships here at home and
international partnerships with allies and partners, promoting research and
development of the next generation of technologies, and leading a national
campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness and education."
Mr. Schmidt has a tremendous amount of security experience having spent time in the U.S Air Force, local law enforcement, the FBI, CSO at Microsoft, CISO at eBay, and also as special adviser for cyberspace security in the Bush Administration. Anyone who under-estimates that Howard Schmidt can enact change is in for a surprise. He's got the rare combination of tangible security experience and significant visibility at the highest levels of government. Having already spent time in the White House, he won't be too enamored with the pomp and cachet but will leverage that power to focus the national efforts and drive policy making. This is a very good announcement for the holiday season.
Mark,
I agree that Howard Schmidt is a great choice for cybersecurity coordinator. He has the breadth and depth of experience that this position requires. His resume speaks for itself.
I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with Howard on several occasions, and I have come away impressed each time. His global perspectives on cyber trends and events were unique and refreshing - I think.
But the thing that struck me about Howard was his understanding of the many “outside the beltway” voices with a diverse range of opinions on the Internet and the cyber challenges we face.
At the same time, Howard comes across as someone who is interested in listening and helping the small guy – including state and local governments. I think he will make a positive difference.
Nevertheless, the list of priorities listed is daunting. We all need to realize that the virtual world is a new 21st century battle ground. We will have cyber criminals and online attacks for the rest of our lives – just as people still rob banks. The cyber coordinator role will only grow and become more influential over the next decade.
I certainly wish Howard and his team success for 2010 and beyond.
Dan Lohrmann