President Obama wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, outlining the need for increased cyber-defense, and his administration’s proposal to earmark $19 billion to overhaul government IT systems and address cyber threats. It’s about time.
There were a couple of great lines:
It is no secret that too often government IT is like an Atari game in an Xbox world. The Social Security Administration uses systems and code from the 1960s.
Nothing like trotting out an Atari-to-XBOX comparison to make a point:
We’ll do more—including offering scholarships and forgiving student loans—to recruit the best talent from Silicon Valley and across the private sector. We’ll even let them wear jeans to the office.
Yes, Levi’s! Count me in! But seriously, nice to see the administation paving another path from Silicon Valley to DC.
In partnership with industry, we’re launching a new national awareness campaign to raise awareness of cyberthreats and encourage more Americans to move beyond passwords—adding an extra layer of security like a fingerprint or codes sent to your cellphone.
This strikes me as similar to the goverment’s 2009 phaseout of analog television signals to digital, albeit with far greater import.
And, my favorite, the author’s bio:
Obama’s internet manifesto made elements of David Brooks’s recent New York Times article resonate for me. Namely, even if you disagree with the administration’s policies – though in this case, it would be hard to make, say, a State’s Rights argument – one would be inclined to admire the “soundness in his decision-making process.” Let’s just hope that the next president – Democrat or Republican – continues this administation’s new commitment to cyber-defense.
Silicon Spatula 