Outsourcing Cyber Expertise

A California lawmaker is questioning whether the Homeland Security Department and other agencies should have more cybersecurity responsibilities, particularly given the shortage of qualified workers, FederalNewsRadio.com reports. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that it may make more sense for the government to outsource some cybersecurity functions to contractors, despite a current trend in government to move more functions in-house.

Lofgren's concern is particularly timely, given that Congress is considering comprehensive cybersecurity legislation that would give DHS more cyber responsibilities. DHS in October received authority to hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity specialists, and at a hearing earlier this month, Phillip Reitinger, deputy undersecretary for the department's National Protection and Programs Directorate, noted that the special authority has already helped DHS make improvements to its National Cyber Security Division. NCSD has tripled its workforce from 35 to 118, he said, and the agency hopes to more than double that number to 260 in fiscal 2010.

Last week, I wrote about a new report that suggested federal spending on IT will grow significantly over the next five years, and that could result in the federal government having to rely more on outside expertise, particularly in the cybersecurity arena. So are Lofgren's concerns warranted? Will the shortage of cyber pros require the government to outsource some cyber expertise, particularly if comprehensive cybersecurity legislation is passed?