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Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards 2014

Maryland Governor O'Malley Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Among Winners of the 2014 Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards

2014 Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards Announced: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley receives lifetime achievement award

Oct. 28, 2014
– The Center for Digital Government today announced the winners of its fourth-annual Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards at the FOCUS 14 Security Conference. The awards recognize the commitment, dedication, hard work and contributions of state and local government, education and healthcare organizations in cybersecurity technology services.
 

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley received the Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award for his stewardship in implementing the National Governors Association’s “Call to Action for Governors for Cybersecurity.”  Governor O’Malley’s actions to move Maryland forward on all of the Call’s tenets include: appointing the first statewide Director of Cybersecurity; implementing a program requiring every state agency to execute an annual vulnerability assessment; and engaging the State National Guard to execute at least one mission per calendar quarter in which agency network perimeter defenses and government portals are “attacked,” with appropriate counter-measures developed.  

“Every day we learn more about the number and severity of cybersecurity threats and that makes it more important than ever that government, education and healthcare organizations vigorously address those threats,” said Todd Sander, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “By putting systems, practices and policies in place that prevent, detect and mitigate vulnerabilities, this year’s winners demonstrate they are serious about cybersecurity defense and keeping citizens' information safe.  Congratulations to this deserving group of winners!”


 Center for Digital Government’s 2014 Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Award Winners:

State Government Category:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Enterprise Information Security Office
Pennsylvania put the Commonwealth Application Certification and Accreditation (CA2) process into place when security attacks increased. Reviews, scans, and assessments benchmark the risk that Web applications pose and catch vulnerabilities, correcting them before they go live on the Internet. The CA2 process provides a cost-avoidance savings to Commonwealth taxpayers, on average, of $38 million per year.

County Government Category:
Cyber Security Assessment for Everyone (CySAFE):  Provided by the Counties of Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne; and the State of Michigan

CySAFE is a tool for governments working on assessing, planning, and implementing cybersecurity measures, created by the above coalition of government representatives in Southeastern Michigan. CySAFE is adapted from several well-known security framework standards to apply to the local government domain. With CySAFE, governments quickly (in less than two hours) assess compliance with the frameworks and identify the most important next steps. Participating governments share best practices for mutual benefit.

City Government Category:
City of Dallas – Securing Citizens’ Protected Health Information


Dallas’ Communications and Information Technology Group improved the security of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) protected patient information collected by Fire-Rescue Emergency Medical Services in the event of a misplaced/stolen laptop. Dallas purchased 70 ruggedized laptops for 850 first responders; implemented enhanced security features, including remote wipe capabilities; developed standard operating procedures for events; and provided training; resulting in better protection of citizens’ medical information and reduced risk of HIPAA violations and fines.

Education Category:
Florida International University

Florida International University (FIU)’s commitment to cybersecurity is evidenced by their tackling of data loss prevention on an enterprise level with McAfee’s ePO (e Policy Orchestrator) and their implementation of a successful BYOD (bring your own device) secured wireless network for 30,000 devices daily.  Additionally, FIU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of the first public universities in the U.S. to offer undergraduate and graduate programs with a cybersecurity concentration.

Cybersecurity Leadership/Innovators Award:
Stanley "Stash" Jarocki, Director of Information Technology Security, Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Stash Jarocki is an experienced change agent and visionary in information security and risk management. He has a diverse background that spans public/private sectors – financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and health care. He is also credited as the architect/builder and a founder of the FS-ISAC (Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center). Currently the Director of IT Security at Phoenix Children's Hospital, he initiated their Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity Planning program, implemented a new Internet Gateway protection system and more.

Cybersecurity Leadership/Innovators Award:
Joe Panora, Director, Enterprise Information Services, and Agency Chief Information Officer, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)

Since 2008, Joe Panora has been responsible for the CDCR’s IT strategic plan, policies, standards, enterprise architecture, and automation efforts. Over the last several years, Panora has overseen an IT project portfolio worth over $800 million, and has spearheaded both a business and IT transformation for CDCR. Some recent successes, supported by an enterprise-wide McAfee Security Connected framework, include implementing a state-of-the-art financial management (ERP) system, and implementing the Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) – a Web-based electronic system comprised of a central offender database, management application, and comprehensive document management system which provides savings of $4 million annually.

Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award:
Martin O'Malley, Governor, State of Maryland

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is presented the Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award for his stewardship in implementing the National Governors Association’s “Call for Action for Governors for Cybersecurity”.  Governor O’Malley’s actions to move Maryland forward on all of the Call’s tenets include:  appointment of a first statewide Director of Cybersecurity/CISO who serves on the Governor’s Security Sub-Cabinet; leading two statewide, full cabinet-level cyber drills; directing and fiscally supporting a program requiring every state agency to execute an annual vulnerability assessment; engaging the State National Guard to execute at least one “cyber-attack and defense” mission per calendar quarter; and collaborating with partners such as the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) for situational awareness. Governor O'Malley has served as co-lead for the National Governors Association (NGA)’s Resource Center for State Cybersecurity since October 2012.

In addition, the governor received the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) 2010 National Technology Champion Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to promote government performance excellence through sound information technology solutions, policies and practice; in 2009, Governing magazine named the Governor as one of eight "Public Officials of the Year" for his data-driven approach to policy and administration; and in 2003 as Mayor of Baltimore, was named one of Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.


The annual awards program is underwritten by McAfee.



The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government.

The Center is a division of e.Republic, the nation’s only media and research company focused exclusively on the state and local government market and education.

Contact:

Janet Grenslitt

916-932-1300

Director of Surveys and Awards

jgrenslitt@centerdigitalgov.com