White House Appoints Howard Schmidt as “Cyberczar”

The Administration has now made it official—Prof. Howard A. Schmidt is the new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator.
This is big news on several fronts:
First, Howard is a great pick for the job.  He’s eminently qualified, having worked all sides of the cybersecurity issue, engaging in shaping policy, pushing for international standards and collaborating with industry. Simply put, he gets cybersecurity.
Beyond his cyber smarts, Howard’s also clocked more than 30 years of government service. He has served prior administrations on critical infrastructure protection, advised the FBI and worked at the National Drug and Intelligence Center.
Important to McAfee, Howard knows our company well.  He is a founding member and a leader of the McAfee Initiative to Fight Cybercrime Advisory Council.  We have all benefited from his insights and commitment to strengthening cybersecurity.
In accepting the White House appointment, Howard has outlined an ambitious agenda: building and executing a national cyberstrategy; deploying a national cyber response plan; strengthening public/private partnerships on a global scale; bolstering cybersecurity R&D; and raising awareness to threats.
My read on this is Howard’s the right person, has the right skills and experience, and is seeking to advance an agenda that aligns well with McAfee’s priorities.  This is a combination that excites me as I look forward to 2010.
Let’s be clear, Howard has many tough fights ahead. He’s got to navigate (continue reading...)