Beginning Framework for the Roundtable Discussion
Data spills. FISMA audits. Insider threats. Privacy assessments. Security is not going away as a critical issue for Government IT systems – in fact, all signs are that the need for cybersecurity will only increase.
Meanwhile, citizen expectations are only rising for improved digital services provided by Government IT.
Yet today security and innovation within federal Government IT departments are, at best, at odds. How do we flip that relationship and go from adversaries to partners?
How do we get innovators as passionate about routinely keeping data safe and demonstrating compliance as they are about mining data and providing new insights? How do we get security people as energized by how new tools could make their data safer as they are today about just saying “no”?
One way is to look to the private sector. When it comes to commercial products, we expect continuous product innovation as well as improving safety and security. From cars to appliances to electronics, we expect everything to get better and our cone of security to expand right alongside.
Private companies are not necessarily better at the new field of cybersecurity than government, as we can see from recent high-profile corporate data breaches like at Sony or Target.
But commercial companies overall do seem better at applying principles of risk management and protecting the downside even as they experiment. Companies like Apple and Netflix continue to deliver constant innovation while improving reliability and reducing risks.
So why in Government IT do security administrators seem in the business of saying “no” to new tools and technology and innovators seem to check out whenever security and compliance get mentioned?
How do we change how professionals in government think about security and innovation to keep pace with private sector risk management?
How do we create a world where both security and innovation flourish as partners instead of adversaries? How does everyone learn to love them both?
This first roundtable in our new series will bring together people from both inside and outside government to answer these questions and more. Join us.
