Senator Seeks To Create 'National Guard' Of IT Pros

The National Emergency Technology Guard (NETGuard) as envisioned by Sen. Ron Wyden would coordinate IT experts in the event of another terrorist or cyberattack to help restore downed systems, replace equipment and provide other consulting and implementation services.

The Oregon Democrat, who chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space, recently said he views NETGuard as "as a technology equivalent of the National Guard."

Yet some solution providers point out there are already a number of entities dedicated to providing this sort of rapid-response service, including the National Infrastructure Protection Center and the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office.

"There are several government agencies that are capitalizing on the new cyberthreats to justify new mandates and dollars, but they are fragmented," said Dallas Bishoff, senior managing partner at Aegisant, a Columbia, Md.-based security solution provider. "Could some of these efforts be consolidated, achieve the intended objectives and create savings?"

Bishoff said the idea of creating a new component of the National Guard that deals with technology matters might be more feasible.

Yet "the talented masses in the IT community probably would have issues with the 'authority' structure" of such an organization, Bishoff added. "I don't know how they would set up and provide for management. The National Guard uses a traditional military structure."

Barton Warner, chief architect for infrastructure and systems at Lante, Chicago, wondered whether Wyden and other legislators on Capitol Hill were merely planting the seeds of a new and cumbersome bureaucracy.

Yet Warner also noted that there have been recent government bids in which Lante was involved that moved more quickly than he would have thought possible.

"Six months ago, I would have looked at [the NETGuard proposal with a skeptical eye," Warner said. "But I have noticed recently that people are taking decisive action to [implement new IT measures." Anecdotally, "we've seen the government reduce their bureaucracy" around new IT projects, he said.

Carol Guthrie, a spokeswoman for Wyden, said the senator's proposal to create a single point of contact for IT experts who wanted to volunteer their time is one of the main thrusts behind the effort.

After Sept. 11, "so many people poured into New York and northern Virginia and said, 'Here we are,' offering to help victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon," she said. "In too many cases, they did not know where to go to offer help."

Other lawmakers, including Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, a New York Republican, have floated similar bills. Rep. Boehlert's proposed legislation would create a group of IT security experts who would combat the activities of malicious hackers.

And Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas who chairs the House Crime Subcommittee, added a related provision to a bill he's promoting that increases law enforcement's power to fight crime committed on computer networks. He is also proposing establishing an Office of Science and Technology under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Justice.

President Bush's 2003 federal budget proposal earmarks millions of dollars for IT spending increases, especially for the Department of Defense, which stands to see its IT budget rise 11.3 percent over last year's proposed budget, according to Input, a Chantilly, Va.-based government research and analysis outfit.