Michigan Merges Physical and Cyber-Security Offices

Dan Lohrmann Photo by Terence Brown

September 15, 2011 By Sarah Rich

Michigan has tapped current state CTO Dan Lohrmann to lead a newly created physical and cyber-security organization.

The move — announced Wednesday, Sept 14, by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) — combines the DTMB’s emergency management, physical security and cyber security offices into a single Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection (CIP) organization. The state expects the reorganization to take effect Oct. 1.

Lohrmann, whose new title will be chief security officer, said the change responds to evolving security requirements.

“More and more systems are coming together in the physical and the cyber side,” he said. “As an industry, that’s happening; there’s more overlap with physical and cyber-security and also with critical infrastructure protection.”

The CIP’s mission, according to the DTMB, is to:

• establish Michigan as a global leader in cyber-awareness, training and citizen safety;

• provide state agencies and their employees with a single entity charged with the oversight of risk management and security issues associated with state of Michigan assets, property, systems and networks;

• aid in the development and implementation of a comprehensive security strategy for all state of Michigan resources and infrastructure; and

• improve efficiency within the DTMB and provide combined focus on emergency management efforts.

Lohrmann was tapped to lead the new organization because DTMB Director John Nixon wanted to “bring together the whole security realm,” said DTMB spokesman Kurt Weiss. Lohrmann’s background, including his role as Michigan’s first chief information security officer, made him the ideal candidate, Weiss added.

Lohrmann has been Michigan’s CTO and director of infrastructure services since 2009. Prior to that, he spent nearly seven years as the state’s chief information security officer. He blogs regularly for Govtech.com and is a columnist for eRepublic’s Public CIO magazine.

Lohrnmann’s first task as chief security officer will be organizing a state cyber-security summit next month where Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will roll out his new cyber-security strategy. Lohrmann will report to state CIO David Behen, and the state will recruit for a new CTO in the near future.

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http://www.govtech.com/security/Michigan-Merges-Physical-and-Cyber-Security-Offices.html

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