White House cybersecurity record is ineffective, other IT results mixed, report says

The Obama administration’s efforts to improve cybersecurity have been for the most part superficial and ineffective, according to an analysis by Federal News Radio.

The review is part of a weeklong series that evaluated the Obama administration’s policies in a number of areas, including management, information technology, workforce and acquisition. Tuesday’s story, by Jason Miller, focused on IT policy.

The story cited Congress’ failure to pass comprehensive legislation to secure the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure and the Homeland Security Department’s slow adoption of policies like continuous monitoring, as factors in the poor IT rating.

Industry leaders told Federal News Radio that the government’s efforts to share information with the private sector “fell short of expectations.”

The report did not account for progress achieved through international bodies like NATO, which has made cybersecurity a leading issue. It also did not account for the checklist developed during the May 2009 cyber policy review, which administration officials say has been fulfilled to date. Additionally, gridlock in Congress was a significant factor in the failure to pass an effective cyber law.

Federal News Radio noted more success in the areas of information sharing, health information technology and IT reform. The report credited the administration’s 25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology for driving the transition to newer cloud based technologies and greater information sharing within government.