Federal IT-security Standards

The OMB should call for whatever funding is necessary to adequately upgrade the agencies' IT security. Doing so would mark the first time a federal agency stopped trying to put out fires with a water pistol.

Whether or not the OMB is successful, should corporate IT pay attention to the agency's set of national standards? The answer is a resounding yes. But will U.S. corporations adhere to those standards? The answer is a huge maybe.

At the end of the day, the OMB doesn't offer a real solution, just a lot of rhetoric. Sure, its task force will make policy recommendations and work with IT managers to get their input on implementing a common solution. In the end, though, it will be corporate America, not the federal government, that will implement the standards and architecture. The government rarely makes holistic decisions about its own IT environment, but instead addresses segments at a time. Corporate America, for all its failings, is far better at seeing the big picture.

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