WHITE HOUSE TURNS TO THE BAY AREA COUNCIL FOR CYBER INPUT

At the request of the White House, the Bay Area Council on August 9 convened top technology executives from companies around the region to meet with newly appointed U.S. Cybersecurity Coordinator J. Michael Daniel. Daniel replaces Howard Schmidt as the top White House advisor on national cybersecurity strategy. Nathan Nayman of Visa led a rich discussion with Daniel and our group of business leaders, security professionals, and education experts on ways the federal government can better partner with the private sector to defend our national information infrastructure against cyber attacks. Among the companies represented were Oracle, AT&T, Lockheed, T.Y. Lin and Accenture, among others. From paths to improved information sharing, to innovative ways to invigorate workforce development programs, to the challenges we face in working with foreign jurisdictions, to simple solutions the federal government can pursue now to address existing vulnerabilities, the group identified concrete steps the Administration should consider as it explores ways to keep moving cybersecurity policy forward.  The Bay Area Council extends our thanks to member Google for graciously hosting us at their headquarters in Mountain View. To get involved in the Bay Area Council’s cybersecurity policy work, please contact Linda Galliher.