GSA splits security policy, contracting

GSA Office of Information Security

The General Services Administration officially folded the contracting functions

of the Federal Technology Service's Office of Information Security into

FTS' Office of Information Technology Solutions. It also created a new office

Monday to focus solely on GSA's role in governmentwide information security

policy issues.

The split will enable FTS' contracting personnel to draw on the expertise

of the security contracting officers as IT security becomes integral to

every 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 (ACES), for public-key infrastructure solutions.

PDD 63 requires the government to protect information systems running the

nation's critical infrastructure.

The new office, which will focus on 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

cyberattack warning and response through the Federal Computer Incident Response

Capability and as the government-sector lead under PDD 63, 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. GSA is

in the process of filling the new associate commissioner position.