Working together -- FCW

Information technology officials from state and federal governments are working on an intergovernmental approach to protect their information assets.

The following are questions discussed at a July 11 National Association of State Chief Information Officers' Cybersecurity Committee roundtable:

* Should public information guardians be part of a national or state guard and should those who restore systems be considered first responders?

* Are physical and electronic threats and cybersecurity defined and promoted effectively?

* Are public information assets vital to the business continuity of all infrastructure sectors, such as transportation and energy?

* Should information sharing be a joint federal/state initiative?

* If it's an intergovernmental approach, how do you address priorities and issues?

* Who should represent each governmental level?

* How much of state/local IT is funded by the federal government?

* To what degree should the federal government drive local cybersecurity standards and/or how should we coordinate policies, standards and training?

Cybersecurity

CMMC clears key regulatory hurdle

The White House approved an interim rule to mandate defense contractors prove they adhere to existing cybersecurity standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Comment

A call for visionary investment

Investing in IT modernization is not an either-or proposition, Rep. Connolly writes. This pandemic has presented Congress a choice: We can put our head in the sand and pretend these failures didn't happen, or we can take action to be prepared for the future.