First came the IT dashboard. Now a cybersecurity dashboard is on its way.

“Just as the IT dashboard took us from a static, paper based environment to a dynamic digital environment, the new cybersecurity dashboard will provide the government with a real-time view of threats facing us and our vulnerabilities,” said Kundra recently before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security.

The impetus, he added, is clear: “Historically, the federal government has not been as effective as necessary in its cyber defense … an inadequate cybersecurity workforce, a focus on compliance rather than outcomes, and a cumbersome and time-consuming process for collecting information hindered our cybersecurity management capabilities.”

The Cyberscope system, a new tool released by The Office of Management and Budget that allows federal agencies to report FISMA compliance through an authenticated web-based reporting, is a step in that direction. “We’re moving from a manual, reporting-based, compliance-focused approach to a real-time measurement of actual cybersecurity,” said Kundra, of the “Cyberscope” system that debuted in October. “You cannot address real-time threats with a solution that’s focused on reporting requirements on a quarterly basis.”

Share your comments here.

First came the Federal IT Dashboard — released just two weeks ago as a “one-stop clearinghouse of information” to track federal IT initiatives. Now comes an accompanying blog. The blog, which debuted Monday, comes on the heels of two weeks of success for the dashboard: some 20 million hits and counting.

“But we can’t simply make this [the dashboard] an exercise in federal agency reporting,” says Federal CIO Vivek Kundra in his inaugural blog post. “That is why we started this blog. We want to hear from you about what works and what doesn’t with the site.”

One small issue, which Jason Hiner over at ZDNet points out: “The blog does not allow comments. If a citizen wants to give input, the blog sends the person to a feedback form. That’s not a very transparent way to create an online conversation about the issues in the federal IT budget.”

What do you think of IT Dashboard – The Blog? Let us know what you think.