Harris Corp. expert panel: Cyber-czar faces bureaucracy, other big obstacles ahead (Orlando Sentinel)

Harris Corp. expert panel: Cyber-czar faces bureaucracy, other big obstacles ahead

By Richard Burnett

Sentinel Staff Writer

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-biz-harris.cyberczar-062509,0,2955086.story

The nation's new federal "cyber-czar" will face serious obstacles to solving the nation's information technology problems, but the Obama administration is making a smart move in creating that position, experts said this week at a national press forum sponsored by Melbourne-based Harris Corp.

Entrenched bureaucracy, unclear authority and the fast pace of change in technology are just a few of the challenges ahead for the new top-level cyber-administrator, an expert panel told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"I think the administration has taken the appropriate first step," said Dale Meyerrose, Harris Corp.'s top cyberspace executive and a former senior intelligence technology officer for the federal government. "They have acknowledged that the status quo is unacceptable and are setting priorities."

But it could take years to overcome the government's entrenched bureaucracy and get a real handle on problems that have developed over the years, the experts agreed.

"There are a lot of competing interests," said former Congressman Tom Davis, now director of federal government affairs for the Deloitte LLP consulting firm. "Key questions will be how much authority the coordinator has and how they will deal with the stovepipes and with getting legislative initiatives through Congress, where everyone will want to have a say."

One of the biggest issues for the cyber-czar will be the relative lack of authority that any "rookie" bureaucrat faces, said James Bamford, a journalist and author of books on cyberspace. As currently defined, the position has no real power or budget, which could make the cyber-czar subordinate to the director of the National Security Agency, who heads the Pentagon's new cyber-command, Bamford said.

"That would present quite a dilemma in terms of public civil liberties," he said. "I'd be much happier to see a very powerful person in charge of the cyber activity with a deputy from the civil liberties side of the spectrum. I also worry about the hype factor regarding vulnerabilities and would like to see the danger rhetoric toned down a bit."

Melbourne-based Harris Corp. sponsored the event as part of its cyber-security business development. The company recently expanded its security technology business by acquiring Crucial Security Inc., a key player in cyberspace solutions for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.