GSA splits security, contracting
The General Services Administration has officially folded the contracting functions of the Federal Technology Service's Office of Information Security into FTS' Office of Information Technology Solutions.
GSA Office of Information Security
The General Services Administration has officially folded the contracting
functions of the Federal Technology Service's Office of Information Security
into FTS' Office of Information Technology Solutions. It has also created
a new office to focus solely on GSA's role in governmentwide information
security policy issues.
The operational functions will be brought together in an Information
Security Services Center, which will provide a staff of experts to help
agencies choose security needed for their applications and services. The
split will also enable FTS' contracting personnel to apply the expertise
of security contracting officers as security becomes integral to system
implementation, said Sallie MacDonald, former deputy associate commissioner
for information security.
Such expertise includes drawing on contracts such as Safeguard, for
products and services related to Presidential Decision Directive 63, and
Access Certificates for Electronic Services, for public-key infrastructure
solutions. PDD 63 requires the government to protect information systems
running the nation's critical infrastructure.
The new Office of Information Assurance and Critical Infrastructure
Protection falls on the policy side of GSA's service to civilian agencies.
GSA serves the government in many ways in the policy arena, including providing
cyber-attack warning and response through the Federal Computer Incident
Response Capability, MacDonald said.
Tom Burke, former associate commissioner for information security, left
FTS last month for industry, and MacDonald is serving as head of the new
policy office as well as continuing to lead the contracting group.
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