WASHINGTON – Today a leading tech industry group released sweeping recommendations to the White House and top federal officials on steps the U.S. government can take to improve its cybersecurity in the wake of the recent breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). In July OPM reported that detailed data was exposed for over 21 million current and former government employees and contractors. Today’s recommendations were developed by a task force comprised of cybersecurity experts from twenty leading companies convened by the IT Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS), the public sector division of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the global voice of the tech sector.

“These are cybersecurity experts with extensive experience in the technology and public sectors,” said Trey Hodgkins, senior vice president for the public sector. “Working diligently, the task force identified steps the government can take immediately and in the months ahead to improve their cybersecurity posture and strengthen the networks our government relies upon.”

The task force identified specific elements of the proposal from years of experience innovating in cybersecurity practices. The recommendations include steps the industry would take to address the cybersecurity challenges posed to government networks, prioritizes immediate and long-term solutions, and offers guidance on how to identify and deploy cybersecurity technologies and services. The task force also offers guidance on what protocols and practices the technology industry uses to maximize cybersecurity responses in times of crisis, and suggestions on how to establish clear lines of responsibility and accountability to address the challenges when they occur.

“Now more than ever information and technology are critical to how the government functions and cybersecurity can no longer be viewed as an isolated issue. It should be a top priority government wide,” Hodgkins said.

Click here to view the recommendations of the task force.

Click here to view an appendix of supporting materials used in preparing the task force recommendations.

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