Illuminating the critical role of IT innovation in cybersecurity, John Zangardi, acting chief information officer for the Department of Defense (DoD), pointed out the need to dispense with “yesterday's thinking” at a recent industry conference in Baltimore.
Zangardi emphasized the need for top talent, industry rapport and “cyber hygiene” during his keynote speech at the recent Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's Defense Cyber Operations Symposium, a DoD release said..
"We can't solve today's complex problems with yesterday's thinking or technologies," he said, according to the release. "As all of you are well aware, IT innovation today more often comes from industry, and not government …([the) foundation for a resilient cybersecurity posture is cyber hygiene."
Under a new initiative called the Cyber Excepted Service, Congress authorized the DoD to employ experts to oversee the department’s civilian cyber professionals, Zangardi said. The program will afford DoD a broader hiring procedure as well as provide competitive salary and benefits.
Indicating that preparation of tomorrow’s work force requires attention to basic academic skills, Zangardi also stressed the need to instill confidence and determination in today’s youngsters.
"The future will require the development of a well-rounded workforce that is proficient in the basics, and the basics to me are reading and writing and math – literacy and mathematics," he said. "These are enablers for the next generation of cyber talent."
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