Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity

In May of 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. The Order was ambitious, including overarching goals of:

• Encouraging strengthened communications and collaboration on cybersecurity between the private sector and government agencies
• Improving transparency between the public and private sectors
• Enhancing security in supply chain software development.

The Order also includes a significant amount of required and recommended actions, with specific goals of:

• Creating a cybersecurity safety review board
• Developing secure cloud adoption practices and guidelines and encouraging agencies to do so with expediency
• New endpoint detection and response systems
• Event logging requirements
• Creating Standard Operation Procedures for incidence response
• Adopting zero-trust architectures
• Multifactor authentication and data encryption
• Developing strategies for critical software design
• Retiring software products and platforms that don’t comply with revamped security standards.

Frequently, executive orders can be slow to implement, often taking years. However, this Order included timebound dates for some items and other items to which urgency was attached. Of course, the necessity relates directly to the increase in cyber-attacks, costing downtime and billions of dollars for the government and private industry.

In many ways, this is among the most forward-thinking approach to securing public and private cyber resources. Progress has been made on issues over the last year, and even in recent months, appropriators in the House have called for more than $15 billion to be allocated in 2023 for cybersecurity initiatives, showing a continued commitment to securing the country’s resources.

The Order predominantly affects federal government agencies and public sector organizations; however, because of the large volume of business the federal government conducts with private vendors, there are also important implications for software developers and other tech providers. The Order requires federal agencies to only purchase from vendors who meet the new standards.

The government mandate can, in many ways, be an essential impetus for local governments, private businesses, and non-profit organizations, particularly if they intend to do business with the federal government. This Order can also be a tool for private organizations and local governments to assess cybersecurity, determine if there are opportunities for improvement, and plan for future security needs.

DQE Communications works as a vital partner in helping our clients with cybersecurity measures. Some of the ways that we can help include:

• Cloud Adoption – the use of Cloud Computing networks is growing exponentially yearly. The Cyber Order places extraordinary importance on government agencies to adopt cloud computing platforms, and AWS has even developed resources to help agencies transition to the cloud. DQE’s Cloud Solution provides a direct connection to top-tier cloud service providers, enhancing network security, preventing loss, and improving computing capabilities. Cloud Adoption is also an excellent tool for supporting workforces that have primarily shifted to work-from-home or hybrid models.
• Physical Security – Fiber-optic communication offers higher security than other networking options because of the way it transmits data. Fiber-optic communication is made possible by sending data as pulses of light across very thin strands of glass or plastic fiber. Not only does this allow data to move at lightning-fast speeds, but it also makes data signals much harder for hackers or malicious individuals to intercept.
• Reliability – high-speed fiber-optic networks offer companies’ dependable connectivity that is less likely to fail or degrade.

DQE would welcome the opportunity to support your cybersecurity health and provide fast and secure business Internet. Interested in learning how we can support you? Connect with us today.