Neupart Advisory Board Member testifies before the U.S. Congress regarding Federal IT Security
July 18, 2007
Paul Kurtz notes progress created by Federal
Information Security Management Act, cites need for greater
uniformity and adoption of international standards such as ISO
27001
Washington D.C. - July 18, 2007 - Neupart A/S, an
industry leading information security risk management and awareness
company, today posted on its website the transcript of Advisory
Board member Paul Kurtz's testimony before a joint subcommittee of
the U.S. Congress. Kurtz's testimony provided a review and
assessment of the Federal Information Security Management Act
(FISMA) of 2002, and provided some key recommendations for the
improvement of Federal IT Security based on developments in the
private sector.
"FISMA is a good first step in what will surely be a long - and
increasingly collaborative - process between the public and private
sectors in safeguarding the integrity of the Federal IT
infrastructure. However, as timely and well intentioned as FISMA
was in 2002, the current law must evolve if it is to be effective
in light of new technology and continually emerging threats.", said
Kurtz, COO of Good Harbor Consulting, LLC, in his testimony. Among
the key trends cited by Kurtz that are driving the need to evolve
are the need for greater empowerment of federal Chief Information
(Security) Officers, the changing nature of IT and information
security and the global drive towards common security
standards.
A key issue identified by Kurtz are the narrow metrics that
don't necessarily fit all federal agencies and their security
programs. Kurtz specifically identified the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001 information security
certification as a key part of the future of federal IT security.
Said Kurtz, "ISO-27001 can be customized to the needs of individual
organizations, thereby avoiding FISMA's 'one-size fits all'
approach to cyber security."
According to Lars Neupart, CEO of Neupart A/S, "We understand
that there is no panacea for the complex issues of information
security, particularly as they relate to the problems faced by very
large government agencies. However, we feel that the move towards
international standards is irresistible and will provide some of
the answers needed to help organizations tailor a standard
framework to their policy needs. We expect both ISO 27001 and the
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI/DSS) to play an
increasingly important role for organizations of all types and
sizes. Neupart is committed to taking a leadership role in the
discussion over security best practices and we thank Paul Kurtz for
his contributions to public discourse."
Neupart is promoting industry awareness of ISO 27001 and other
important security policy trends with thought leading educational
content. Paul Kurtz's full transcript and our webcast, "ISO 27001:
Today and Tomorrow", are both online at www.neupart.com/27k.
About Neupart
Neupart is a multinational corporation focused on strategic
information security solutions, combined with the expertise of
acknowledged partners worldwide. Neupart is an ISO 27001 certified
company. Neupart's SecureAware is an unparalleled product suite
allowing you to build a world class, standards-based information
security management system that spans people, process and
technology.
SecureAware's rich content, customizable tools and hierarchical
security design allow your organization to perform enterprise risk
management (ERM), create and disseminate rational policies and
ensure organizational accountability through ingenious user
awareness programs tied directly to your policies and processes.
With a full ISO 27001/17799 content engine, SecureAware Enterprise
provides the industry's most effective platform to achieve and
maintain 27001 compliance and certification, and contains an
elegant framework to map global security standards with your own
locale-specific regulatory requirements. See www.neupart.com for more
information about Neupart.
Contacts:
U.S.: Jim Reavis
Neupart Inc.
360.820.2545
jim.reavis@neupart.com
Denmark: Lars Neupart
Neupart A/S
+45 7025 8030
lars.neupart@neupart.com