Charting the Cyber Path Forward (S1E32)

In May of 2021, the White House released an Executive Order (EO) that addresses cybersecurity in the federal government. It is a rather long document and covers topics as wide-ranging as data security and workforce skills.

To gain a better understanding of this complex document, we invited two experienced subject matter experts to give their opinions. Daniel Prieto currently works for Google but has extensive experience in federal IT with project management in many agencies, including the Executive Office of the President. Vijay D’Souza is a rising star at GAO and brings the practical perspective of applying mandates to the twists and turns of the federal data experience. This is a great blend of commercial and federal leaders unpacking many aspects of the new executive order.

Daniel Prieto opens the discussion by implying that we may be reaching a tipping point when it comes to the amount of data a federal information professional can handle. He brings up the point that the emphasis on the new EO should be analysis to understand the overwhelming amount of data that is flooding systems from IoT devices and other network attached equipment.

One of the risks of trying to introduce a topic like Zero Trust is oversimplifying the concept. For example, it is certainly easy to talk about identification and permission levels; it is something quite different to talk about applying Zero Trust to an existing hybrid network system. Many agencies have had inspectors give them long lists of ways to improve security, many of these, inevitably, lead to Zero Trust.

Recently, a human resources professional posted on LinkedIn that artificial intelligence (AI) would solve many recruitment problems. During the interview, Vijay D’Souza presented a position that contrasted with that. Because of the true lack of cybersecurity professionals, he suggests that we should be more flexible in looking at candidates. If the AI filter demands a certification, like a CISSP, perhaps a person with good analytical skills and a relentless work habit might make a better security professional.

To view this webinar: Charting the Cyber Path Forward .

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