The State Identity Credential and Access Management Guidance and Roadmap (SICAM)

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The State Identity and Credential Access Management (SICAM) Guidance and Roadmap outline a strategic vision for state-based identity, credential, and access management efforts, and emphasizes the importance of implementing the SICAM architecture and services in support of the challenges associated with trust, interoperability, security, and process improvement. States can, and should, provide a secure, auditable environment for the processing and exchange of information across the entire spectrum of state business. This guidance promotes an enterprise approach and it is essential that state governments take the initiative to ensure the integrity of the data entrusted to them and provide a high level of security and privacy to citizens, customers, and partners.

 

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Capitals in the Clouds Part IV – Cloud Security: On Mission and Means

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This brief presents an emphasis on the cultural and organizational aspects of cloud computing. “Cloud services” imply shared services. When agencies come together to share such a resource there will necessarily have to be an evaluation of the variance in security policies in place in the various partner agencies. Engaging external cloud services can be quite risky if such services have not been properly vetted by state security staff. Much education, awareness, and ongoing communication will be required to ensure state government employees are fully aware of the risks of external cloud services. The imperative for states is to stay connected and maintain the dialogue, sharing intentions and solutions, as state government moves forward with adoption of cloud services. Cloud is not the only solution or avenue for sharing resources. When it is the right solution, it must be employed with proper attention to the security aspects of cloud services, particularly with external cloud services.

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Capitals in the Clouds Part III – Recommendations for Mitigating Risks: Jurisdictional, Contracting and Service Levels

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Cloud computing will continue to be an invaluable resource for state and local governments in their efforts to rationalize and optimize computing resources. Cloud computing should be seen as an IT innovation that can support rationalization and optimization of business services as well as IT services. Due diligence prescribes the necessity of exploring and evaluating jurisdictional issues in order to ensure long term sustainability and growing adoption of collaborative government operations in state and local government.

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Capitals in the Clouds – The Case for Cloud Computing in State Government Part II: Challenges and Opportunities to Get Your Data Right

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Cloud computing brings with it opportunities, issues and risks. One major consideration that must be addressed is the management of data – governance, stewardship, consistency, ownership and security. Data is the lifeblood of state government operations and critical for service delivery. With the fiscal stress and operational pressures that are driving state and local governments toward serious consideration and adoption of cloud computing, the data must not be ignored. These pressures must be managed intelligently to avoid pushing government into a future situation that could constitute greater cost, and more difficulty in achieving interoperability of government lines of business and government jurisdictions.

 

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State CIO Top Ten Policy and Technology Priorities for 2012

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Each year NASCIO conducts a survey of the state CIOs to identify and prioritize the top policy and technology issues facing state government. The CIOs top ten priorities are identified and used as input to NASCIO’s programs, planning for conference sessions, and publications.

 

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State Cyber Security Resource Guide: Awareness, Education, and Training Initiatives

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For the 2011 observance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, NASCIO has updated its Resource Guide for State Cyber Security Awareness,Education, and Training Initiatives. The guide includes new information from our state members, who provided examples of state awareness programs and initiatives. This is an additional resource of best-practice information, together with an interactive state map to allow users to drilldown to the actual resources that states have developed or are using to promote cyber awareness. It includes contact information for the CISO, hyperlinks to state security and security awareness pages, and information describing cyber security awareness, training, and education initiatives.

The Resource Guide is a work-in-progress that should provide a valuable reference resource for Cyber Security Awareness Month, as well as the ongoing planning of security awareness and training efforts state programs may undertake thereafter.

 

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Capitals in the Clouds – The Case for Cloud Computing in State Government Part I: Definitions and Principles

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Cloud computing has arrived as a serious alternative for state government. There are outstanding issues that must be faced and dealt with in order to maintain the reliability, responsibility, security, privacy, and citizen-confidence in government services. Government is exploring technology and business process innovations that will make the way for government to deliver existing services more economically. Cloud computing provides a number capabilities that have the potential for enabling such innovation.

 

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State CIO Top Ten Policy and Technology Priorities for 2011

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Each year NASCIO conducts a survey of the state CIOs to identify and prioritize the top policy and technology issues facing state government. The CIOs top ten priorities are identified and used as input to NASCIO’s programs, planning for conference sessions, and publications.

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2010 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study – State Governments at Risk: A Call to Secure Citizen Data and Inspire Public Trust

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People put a lot of trust in state governments to collect, maintain and protect the appropriate information necessary to execute their programs, protect individual rights, and ensure public safety. The volume of that information expands at an ever-increasing pace, and maintenance and protection of that information, particularly where it involves Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI), becomes more and more challenging. The 2010 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study finds that states need to do more to secure citizen data and maintain public trust.

 

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Security at the Edge: Protecting Mobile Computing Devices Part II: Policies on the Use of Personally Owned Smartphones in State Government

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Due to the pervasive use of personally owned smartphones in the U.S., practical concerns have arisen around state employee requests to use these devices for state business. The potential for security incidents and data breaches is a practical concern that state CIOs and CISOs must address when establishing security standards. While these devices make the work lives of employees less complicated, and perhaps reduce state IT acquisition costs, officials must once again face the classic dilemma of balancing risks and rewards. Policies on the Use of Personally Owned Smartphones in State Government highlights the trend toward states establishing security policies and standards for connecting personally owned smartphones to government networks.

 

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