Central Government, Technology

Information Management Mistakes Can Wreak Havoc in the Public Sector

By Alice Kok | 30 August 2008

Prudent data security management has historically been the sole domain of the Chief Information Officer (CIO); and that is no longer the case. As of June 2008, more than 330 million records were compromised globally.

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Traditional security perimeters and network-based security practices are no longer adequate. ReymannGroup published a report on 27 August 2008, detailing how the nature of document security is driving each government agency to find better ways to control, track and report all that is having to the information in their possession.

Today’s security model has all users in and outside of a network sharing sensitive data—all through the virtual environment. Government agencies are challenged to respond to several trends and business drivers that are raising the importance of prudent IT controls and risk management. Examples include: • Federal Mandates. • The Rise of E-Government • Collaborating Across Borders • Doing More with Less • Focusing on Mobility • The New Generation of Federal Workers • Modernising the Infrastructure

Over the past decade, the public sector in America has experienced an insurgence of mandates demanding effective technology that guards against data breaches.

They must comply with Congressional legislation and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandates that dictate how government must govern, work, communicate, and securely interact throughout the internal corporate structure and with external parties like customers and strategic resource partners.

OMB continues to enforce e-government to increase agencies’ use of technology and reduce duplicative federal costs—and the key focus is on security and data privacy safeguards, and how effectively agencies are executing the OMB guidelines. Agencies must comply or risk losing budget from OBD each fiscal year.

Many agencies have a technology infrastructure comprised of old and new technology that has to be mordernised for better programme support.

The size, scope, and complexity of most agencies make this modernisation effort a significant challenge. As older civil servants with knowledge and older systems retire, it becomes increasingly more expensive to maintain such legacy systems. Agencies must take action to modernise the technology infrastructures or many of their programmes will be at a security risk.

Paul R. Reymann, CEO of ReymannGroup says, “Agencies are looking for solutions that protect information regardless of where it resides, where it is sent, or how it is used. We found that Enterprise Rights Management enables agencies to implement persistent security that successfully protects the actual data or document throughout its existence — including while in use. This is in contrast to traditional approaches that focus solely on data at rest or in transit.”

“The nature, speed, and effect of current threats to the security of public sector data require human policy and procedure efforts to be supplemented with technology safeguards. Agencies must adopt the right information management technology infrastructure to support their day-to-day operational and security compliance initiatives. The right technology solutions and infrastructure can provide a common framework of controls that help enable cost-effective operations and compliance, while helping to mitigate risks such as a data breach or erroneous loss of sensitive data.”