Security Emerges from the Shadows

Recall those days little more than a year ago when security referred to a retirement income or a nice optional feature in a new car. That was yesterday's security. Since 9/11, security has become a national -- indeed global -- concern that has descended upon governments with the force that only a major disaster can exert. Security, specifically cyber security, has everyone's attention and is demanding innovation, solutions and, alas, funding.

Certainly, there were companies and individuals that preached the gospel of cyber security prior to Sept. 11. But few governments heard the warnings above the clamor that came from multiple fronts, all vying for attention and limited funding. Now, as we approach the dark anniversary that re-shuffled the nation's priorities, security of information systems is paramount at all levels of government.

It is perhaps a regrettable commentary that it took a great disaster to bring attention to realities that were always present but rarely recognized. I am referring to the prominence of local government in the new order -- local governments as first responders, as the most elemental link that people have in good times and in bad, as an extension of their neighborhoods.

For the first time, local officials are finding they have a chair at conference tables with powerful, federal decision makers. They have been officially recognized for the irreplaceable services they provide and for the important role they play in homeland security. New York City's first responders drove that message home and the city's IT department demonstrated the new nature of the Internet as a conduit for emergency information and communication.

Today, the necessary link between federal, state and local governments is a given. The need for information sharing, compatibilities of systems, and integrated technologies crosses all jurisdictional boundaries and requires new relationships. The outwardly conflicting demand for access to information in a climate of heightened security is a debate that is just beginning. And, new technologies that address such dilemmas are emerging on the market.

That security of information systems is paramount did not come as news to everyone. There were pioneers and visionaries who preached the gospel of cyber security long before it became a national priority. In the past, their voices were few among many, seldom heard above the din of daily discourse. What is new is the collective agreement that technology can be used as a powerful tool and, at the same time, as a dangerous weapon. And, like any weapon, it needs to be accessed only by authorized users within a system that affords appropriate security.