News Feature | March 25, 2014

Government IT News For VARs — March 25, 2014

Government IT News For VARs

In the news this week, the NIST released its initial version of the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, and California DMV faces a potential security breach.

New Cybersecurity Framework Issued Under Presidential Executive Order

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the initial version of the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity last month. The framework is designed to help infrastructure owners and operators better manage cybersecurity related risk. The NIST has also issued an accompanying roadmap, outlining the next steps in expanding the framework in the areas of cybersecurity developing, alignment, and collaboration. The NIST is continuing to encourage informal feedback around the process.

California DMV Investigates Possible Breach Of Customer Credit Cards

The California DMV announced on Saturday that it had been notified by officials of a potential breach in its security. According to a Government Technology article, The agency has no evidence that any of their systems have been hacked, but has responded to the threat with increased monitoring of Web traffic. The concerns were triggered by warnings from several financial institutions that received MasterCard alerts marked "STATE OF CALIF DMV INT." Authorities are unsure exactly how many customers might be affected.

Government IT Talking Points

In an article for EurActive.com, Chairman of IBM Europe Harry van Dorenmalen speaks on Big Data, the rhetoric around it, and how a bad reputation affects the free flow of data in general. Van Dorenmalen makes sure to differentiate between the use of data by government and by that of companies for commercial purposes. He also addresses the concept of data as a natural resource.

E-Commerce Times reports the IDC Government Insight’s advice around the growing mobile market. 

  • Keep your offerings simple to understand.
  • Keep an eye out for new opportunities.
  • BYOD is full of growth potential.

E-Commerce Times writer John K. Higgins points out, “The U.S. government will be a prime target for mobile information technology vendors offering a variety of devices, associated telecom services, and mobile management assistance over the next several years. By 2017, annual federal spending on a wide range of mobile IT capabilities could approach U.S. $10 billion.”

For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Government IT Resource Center.