DOD Cybersecurity Modernization Efforts Going Full Force

by Lloyd McCoy Jr., Consultant

This month promises to go down in the books as one of the busiest months of cybersecurity developments for the Department of Defense. For one, the military will soon publish a new cyber strategy, guiding DOD on how to best secure its networks and build out new capabilities. Along the same lines, the Navy plans to release its own strategy in the very near future.

Earlier this month, we saw the Air Force formally launch its Task Force Cyber Aware program, echoing a similar initiative out of the Navy. The Air Force’s Cyber Aware program aims at helping the department develop a risk management strategy centered on security. Just this week we saw the Army hosting a workshop in an effort to hire and retain top cybersecurity professionals. To add to everything else, as I discussed last month, cybersecurity has been top of mind on the Hill. As a COTs vendor, it’s important to understand where all this cyber commotion is coming from and what types of future cyber investments DOD is looking to make.

DOD’s Need for New Cyber Talent and Tools

This recent surge in activity should not come as a surprise. High-profile cyber-attacks across industry and government have no doubt made senior leaders in DOD quite nervous. Also, as technology evolves and cyber-attacks become more complex, older cyber strategies are becoming grossly outdated. Due to these factors, the importance of a talented cyber workforce and smart, targeted cyber investments will only become more critical with time.

The Army, Navy, and Air Force’s recent focus on cyber initiatives amount to just a fraction of all the revamping and modernizing the military departments plan on doing to their cyber procurement practices and technology investments.

Cyber Investments on DOD’s Radar

Innovative cyber strategies and related initiatives provide a valuable guidepost for where the military will target their cyber investments. Understanding what is driving the program manager’s decision making is essential for establishing or expanding your footprint in the halls of the Pentagon.

In addition, with the way strategies are written, there is often some wiggle room on implementation side. This means there are usually opportunities for you to influence the decision maker on how he/she will get to the ultimate goal, whether it is cyber resiliency, network awareness, equipment upgrades, etc.

FY15 is shaping up to be a game-changing year for how DOD and the government, as a whole, approach cybersecurity. It really is becoming a top priority. Therefore it’s very important to keep your ears close to the ground so that when strategies and “visions” are published, you can become well positioned to craft your message in a way that resonates with what’s important to the customer.

Need help identifying top decision-makers and opportunities within DOD? Contact immixGroup’s industry-leading Market Intelligence team today to learn about specific offices and contacts that have a pressing need for your solution.