TechAmerica: Just Do It

In hopes that Congress will get something of note accomplished before year's end, IT industry association TechAmerica released a statement on Friday encouraging the Senate to pass a vote on several popular cybersecurity reforms before breaking later this month.

"TechAmerica supports the concept of comprehensive cybersecurity reform, but the perfect must not become the enemy of the good," wrote TechAmerica President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Bond in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "In the event that comprehensive action proves elusive, we would prefer to achieve meaningful victories in the effort to better protect our nation in cyberspace while the opportunity is before us."

Although the number of cybersecurity measures circulating Congress has reached double digits, TechAmerica pointed to two specifically:

--The 2010 Data Security and Breach Notification Act, which establishes a standard for notifying individuals at risk of harm from exposure of their personal information.

--The 2009 Information Technology Investment Oversight Enhancement and Waste Prevention Act, which would increase accountability for cybersecurity within individual agencies, enable greater access to commercial cybersecurity solutions, and expand federal cyber response capabilities.