So given the prevailing climate, it was not altogether shocking to come across yesterday’s report issued by The Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance) offering that the Bush Administration’s market-based, voluntary approach for encouraging companies to improve cybersecurity was insufficient.

As reported by Washington Technology, The ISAlliance, a non-profit collaboration between the Electronic Industries Alliance, a federation of trade associations, and Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab, suggested in the report that the next Administration should - in conjunction with industry players - develop a cybersecurity social contract based on economic incentives.

As opposed to the voluntary approach, ISAlliance suggests a social contract whereby government would incentivize and reward companies through incorporating cybersecurity into procurement and loan processes, along with other steps. The report from ISAlliance - whose Board includes reps from Verizon, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman - also seeks to shift the perception of cybersecurity from purely IT to one of enterprise risk management.

Well known Congressman Tom Davis  will not only be teaching the eager minds at George Mason University, but will be teaching the folks over at Deloitte’s Federal practice and their clients quite a bit about how to effectively work within the challenging requirements of Congress. Davis has a remarkable career in the Congress and earned himself significant respect from his constituency, peers and the government contracting community.

Unisys gets new head of Federal

With two months under his belt in his new position, Ted Davies told ExecutiveBiz what the future holds, not only for Unisys Federal Systems, but also for the government contracting industry as a whole.  Davies has served as Managing Partner for Unisys’ Federal Systems’ Civilian Agencies for the last five years and is credited with its significant growth during his tenure.  Davies, along with Unisys’ new CEO, Edward Coleman, represent the new face of the Unisys administration team.

Davies talks further about the impact of the administration change on the industry as well as emerging trends.  Read more here.

Top 10 Unfortunate Political One-Liners

They say hindsight is 20/20, but that brings little comfort to these politicians, whose gaffes get prime time coverage due to their positions .  Click here to see who made the Top 10.

Get your finances in order before it’s too late

Don’t miss the chance to meet Knight Kiplinger, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on financial forecasting, planning and wealth retention. The event will be hosted by the Potomac Officers Club on December 11th at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Click here to read more about Knight Kiplinger and here to reserve your seat.

Cyber Security Breakfast with Melissa Hathaway

ExecutiveBiz is proud to host a rare public appearance by Ms. Melissa Hathaway, Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Cyber Coordination Executive.  The event will be held on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 from 8:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m. More details can be found here and you can register here.

You’re new to the Federal space. Tell us a little about what you have found so far.

Michael Heath: Two things. First of all, I have been impressed and amazed at just how much thought leadership there is for IT with the federal agency customers I’ve been calling on in this space. I have encountered very forward-thinking CIOs looking for the next best idea for putting together a network or a security solution. I’ve been very impressed with their long-term planning on both fronts. Second of all, the amount of time and investment that agencies are putting into the IT space — they are taking a very sophisticated approach. Being new to the federal segment, I wasn’t sure what to expect there, but what we’re doing here in the federal segment certainly rivals my experience working with the Fortune 500 and is, in some cases, much more sophisticated.

What top priorities do you work on daily?

Michael Heath: I’m working with our customers to help them shape their thinking and decide what their network strategy will be. There are a lot of statements of work out there for Networx, the GSA’s 10-year, $20 billion contract vehicle that allows AT&T and others to provide a full range of telecommunications and related network services to federal government agencies, that we are involved in right now. Over the past three months, we’ve been very busy responding to those SOWs by sending proposals to customers, etc. AT&T has been very successful with Networx — for example, AT&T has announced more than $700 million in Networx awards with customers such as the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What’s your biggest challenge in business right now?

Michael Heath: The Networx conversations with customers, specifically transition versus transformation. How does a federal agency CIO transition its network so it can transform the way it serves its citizens, whether it is providing a secure network for its workforce to telework or enabling citizens to file their takes online? Those are challenging discussions with CIOs because many times it’s new ground they’re breaking.

How has AT&T been looking at the cyber initiative and what opportunities do you see there?

Michael Heath: It’s such a broad initiative. Every CIO that we’ve talked to is worried about security. There is a common concern about security, but there are many different thoughts across agencies on how to address cyber security threats. So AT&T takes a specialized approach to each customer’s security situation, whether it is an existing security solution or the situation requires a brand new security solution to overlay on its network. Because every federal agency can now use Networx to address GSA’s Trusted Internet Connections initiative, AT&T is well positioned to help because we offer more services to federal agencies on the Networx contract and can offer all TIC component service elements via Networx, such as Managed Internet Services, Managed Firewall Services and Managed Intrusion Detection Services.

What do you think your business unit will look like in two years?

Michael Heath: We’ll be on the back end of implementing Networx transition from agencies such as Treasury, Veterans and dozens of others. AT&T will also be talking with many of those agencies about other things they want to do with their network architectures in addition to the original Networx transition. It could be new security overlays, data center solutions or disaster recovery, business continuity solutions. Once we get through this Networx wave, there will be a lot of new networks to design and install over the next couple of years, leading to other discussions about what applications our customers can put on those networks to drive more efficiency and reliability.

What advice would you give a small business wanting to partner with AT&T Government Solutions?

Michael Heath: Tell us what you can do for the customer, and take us through your capabilities so we can understand your value proposition. Help us rationalize how we can take these capabilities and integrate them into what we are doing for the client so we can provide a nice robust solution for the customer.

What is something most people are surprised to learn about AT&T Government Solutions?

Michael Heath: We have fully integrated our mobility sales teams and our wireline sales teams into one. So when we are talking to a customer, we can bring that whole portfolio with one account team to the customer. Customers like that, and I think many are surprised because not too many in the industry are doing that.

What’s something most people are surprised to learn about you?

Michael Heath: I’ve been pedal to the metal here for the past 12 months, as you would expect in any new job. Being new to the D.C. area has been an exciting opportunity to explore. I think people are surprised at how much time I like to spend outdoors, checking out the sights and taking in all that the area has to offer. We’re so busy in this business, and in this industry, it’s important to find some balance.

Tell us some of your new priorities and responsibilities.

Ted Davies: Since becoming president of Unisys Federal Systems barely two months ago, my focus has been on continuing to build a world-class team and streamlining what we do. It’s a complex business, so the easier that I can make it for folks to do their jobs, the better we are going to do.  That’s what I’m working on right now.

How did your previous job as vice president of civilian agencies help prepare you?

Ted Davies: In the past, I’ve done a lot of work in the defense field, and I’ve been the leader for the civilian marketplace at Unisys for the past five years.  Also when I was a partner at Booz Allen I managed a horizontal team. So I am familiar with leading services that cut across client domains, because I’ve seen both sides of this equation.  That is the model that I’m trying to build here — leveragability of solutions across marketplaces combined with deep client domain knowledge.

What, if anything, surprised you about your new role?

Ted Davies: Well, I didn’t anticipate a new boss right away!  The day after I started, my new boss — our CEO — was announced.  It’s been great working with Ed Coleman. He’s an industry veteran who’s turned around a number of businesses. He brings a very open approach to the company, and a fresh point of view.  That was probably the biggest thing that I hadn’t anticipated and a healthy change for us.

With a new administration, any changes to your business model?

Ted Davies: The business model is going to stay the same. President-Elect Obama and his administration are still going to have the same challenges to tackle; it’s just about how they get it done.  They have to wrestle with the financial crisis and its continuing impact on our economy.  The global war on terror is not going anywhere.  I think we are going to see an increased focus on cyber-security, and healthcare reform will be a focus area.

How do you plan to stay relevant to your clients?

Ted Davies: With the presidential transition, our clients are going to be under increased budget scrutiny and pressure. So any solution we bring forward has to help them get their mission accomplished at a lower cost.  We have to focus on that to remain relevant.

How would you describe your leadership style?

Ted Davies: Very open.  People find me easy to approach and work with. If you focus on allowing people to grow and achieve their goals, then I believe they will work to make clients successful.  I also want to ensure that we have a performance-based culture.  We must make sure we are rewarding folks for stepping up and doing a good job. Finally, I am focused on developing a leadership team that is positive and confident, mirroring my own personal style.

What’s your favorite part of a typical day?

Ted Davies: I love working with our people to come up with better approaches to meeting our clients’ needs. I also love helping our employees grow in their aspirations.  I love to see the light bulbs go on when they get a new idea and we figure out how to take advantage of it.  That’s what keeps me coming to work.

If you could go back in your career and do something differently what would it be?

Ted Davies: I can’t say that there is anything that I would do differently.  I have enjoyed working with many different people, many different clients, and doing a lot of different things. I like the variety I have had in my career.  I can’t really say that I would change any of that; it has all prepared me for where I am today.

What’s the most fun you have had at work?

Ted Davies: Building a business, building a team and delivering results for our clients.  That’s the most fun.  I’d also add that I’ve done some really exciting charity and community work over the years, which I have found incredibly fulfilling. I really enjoy those and I want to build that into the culture as well.

What keeps you up at night?

Ted Davies: Not enough time in the day.  There is just way too much to do.  This is a big job.  There’s a lot to do to move the organization forward and I’ve set very aggressive plans for the first 30 to 90 days.  We are trying to achieve those goals at the same time as we end our fiscal year December 31st.  So we are finishing this year up and planning for next year.  That’s what keeps me up at night — thinking through all of the things we have to accomplish.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Ted Davies: I’m an avid sports fanatic. I like to watch football, baseball and other major events but I also have become a very active runner.  I run 10-milers and half marathons, and I was a rugby player for a lot of years, as well as a rugby coach.

Interview with Tom Davies was conducted by JD Kathuria

Read more interviews here: http://blog.executivebiz.com/category/interviews/

This year the Kidney Ball is aiming to raise more than last year’s $1.3 million and, with the unwavering support from thousands of the area’s business and community leaders, we can expect nothing short of a slam dunk in raising over $1 million again this year.

“More than 13 percent of the population has kidney disease and most people don’t know it. As business leaders we have a social responsibility to the community at large. Working with non-profit partners, we can make a significant difference in the lives of many.”

-Jim Duffey, 2008 Kidney Ball Chair

For more details, visit www.kidneywdc.org.

The Washington Post and other sources have identified John Brennan as a possible replacement for current CIA Director Michael Hayden.  Mr. Brennan is currently CEO of The Analysis Corporation (TAC).  TAC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Strategies Group (North America) Inc, run by Dr. John Hillen.  Mr. Brennan has had an illustrious career with the intelligence community, and serves as the Chairman of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, as well as an intelligence and foreign policy advisor to President-elect Barack Obama.  Read the full story here.

Secret Service chooses “Code Names” for the Obama family. 

The Secret Service is known for it’s creativity for choosing code names for those they protect (However, Al Gore’s code name was “Al Gore”) Click here to get the Obama codes.

White House Comes Under Cyber Attack

As we move past the furor of the election year, it is sobering to note that a blitz of cyber attacks continue on governmental infrastructures despite our best efforts.  According to the Financial Times, the computer network of the White House was infiltrated on more than one occasion, with Chinese hackers gaining access to official email correspondence.  Wired Magazine reported that both presidential campaigns were hacked. Seems like this is something democrats and republicans can all agree on.  Read more here.

The U.S. government is fighting back, unveiling a plan this past February for a National Cyberspace Strategy.  The new administration has definitely chosen to harness the latest in cyberspace, as evidenced by their unprecedented campaign.

On October 28th, 2008, the Potomac Officers Club was proud to host newly-named Obama Transition Team Chief Technology Advisor Julius Genachowski, and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.  Genachowski spoke to a crowd of DC area executives on the technological expectations of the new administration.  Click here to read more!

Top 10 most irritating phrases. Are you unknowingly irritating people?

In veritably blunt fashion, Oxford University has collected the Top 10 most irritating phrases.  Unfortunately, the corporate world is not immune to overuse of expressions such as the time-honored, “synergy.”   Is one of your favorite phrases highlighted?  Click here to find out!

Do you know Tom Grissen of Daon?

ExecutiveBiz recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tom Grissen, CEO of Daon.  Grissen stays focused on identity assurance, as he believes that the future will demand it.  In fact, as we move further in technology and truly break down the map-drawn boundaries, who people think you are will determine your access level in even the most mundane areas.  In an age which has seen cyber attacks on all fronts, including the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, cyber security remains at the forefront for both the government and corporations.  Tom Grissen addresses how Daon is tackling this pressing issue.    Click here to read more!

Knight Kiplinger Headlines POC Event

In a truly timely and powerful event, the Potomac Officers Club is proud to host famed business forecaster, Knight Kiplinger.  Kiplinger is Editor-in-Chief of the oldest economic newsletter in the U.S., The Kiplinger Letter.  Kiplinger is slated to speak on the troubled economic climate and how DC area executives can safeguard their assets.  According to Kiplinger, “The dynamism and heft of the US economy will be tested but not defeated.”  Register Here!

After serving Virginia’s 11th congressional district for 13 years, Rep. Tom Davis decided to step down from his congressional seat this year and will make the switch from governmental office into the corporate world.  As reported in the Washingon Post, Rep. Davis has also elected to serve as a director of Deloitte’s DC area operations.  For Davis, this represents a return to his “corporate roots.”  In fact, this was the line of work he was in prior to running for public office.  Read more here.

In addition, Davis has found the time to finally set his sights on academia. This fall, for the first time, he has begun teaching a senior seminar in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. The “Southern Politics” class of a strong twenty-five students is exploring the cultural and electoral changes in the south over the past century and the recent reactions to the election of an African-American president.

In a recent interview with the Mason Gazette, Davis explains his decision to teach. “Thinking is something that not everybody is forced to do as a part of the learning process. I want them to learn to think and challenge and that is what I’m trying to bring out in them.”

Davis has been an ardent supporter of economic growth and friend to the government contractor community in northern Virginia. In Congress, he has notably served as the first Chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy as well as Co-Chair of the Information Technology Work Group. He has been the recipient of numerous industry awards and in 2000 was inducted into the American Electronic Association’s High Tech Hall of Fame.

Here are just a few pictures from the event:

Your involvement with IBM goes back to the ‘80s — a long time.

Dave McQueeney: Yes, I started in June of 1988, right out of grad school.  So if you sum it up I’ve been 20 years at IBM, 10 of which were at IBM Research and the other 10 were in the operating units. I have been the Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s Federal Government business since June of 2004.

You oversee 70 engineers and system architects — what does it take to be a good CTO?

Dave McQueeney: To be a good CTO, you have to work on three things. First, you have to have the best technical people.  You have to create an environment that is exciting and vibrant. Techies are heat seekers … If you are successful creating this environment, the best folks will find you.  Once you attract them, of course you need to look after them. You have to continually challenge them with problems that really get them excited from both a technical and impact point of view.  You have to help them move “up the ladder” in their jobs, growing into bigger, more significant responsibilities.  Finally, you have to keep the organization’s skills up-to-date. You have to be concerned about whether you have the right technical resources to solve the business or the mission problem that you face, especially as that mission changes.

So it’s all about the people; you get the right people, you deploy them in the right way, you help them advance their careers and you make sure the mix of people is right for the problem you are trying to solve.

Second: You are a “C-level executive,” the CTO of an organization. That organization, whether it is government or commercial, is going to look to you to make or advise on the most important policy decisions. To stay sharp, you have to keep up with journals, the broader research community, and with government and other industry parties.  Said another way, innovation is moving faster and faster and you need to stay strongly connected inside and outside of your organization to be current.

You are expected to make reasoned judgments about policies the organization will set where the fundamental decision is technically-based. Your senior colleagues are going to expect you to have the judgment to answer technical questions on behalf of the organization.

Third: You can’t just be a techie. The CTO has to be the bridge between the business world — or the mission world, as it’s called in the government — and the technical world.  You have to provide advice such as “You haven’t thought of this because you are mission expert, not a technical expert, but here is a new way to address your mission challenges in a completely different, and fundamentally more effective way.” Any good CTO is constantly working to get a deeper understanding of his or her mission area, not just the technology.

What books help you stay on top as a CTO?

Dave McQueeney: A book that everyone’s been buzzing about recently is The Starfish and the Spider — I enjoyed reading that one. It contrasts centralized and decentralized organization models. The spider refers to the centralized model, with the body and the brain in the center. The decentralized model is represented by the starfish, which actually has no single central brain. In fact the five legs function somewhat autonomously and through some means not fully understood figure out a way to cooperate when the starfish wants to go from point A to point B.  You can take a starfish and cut it in half and it probably won’t die; each half will grow the other half back and you will have two starfish.  Some of the deep thinkers in the Department of Defense are fascinated by this because they are wondering: could this model of decentralized control offer a more resilient fighting force than one that is managed classically from a central command authority?  The book gives many examples of familiar things to make its point, as varied as how the Linux operating system was developed, to how the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert works.

What are a couple of your personal favorites?

Dave McQueeney: A couple of my personal favorites are “old school” classics.
First is a book that goes back to 1975 called The Mythical Man-Month.  It was the first book ever written about how hard it is to deliver large software projects and it was written by a former IBMer named Fred Brooks. It’s a classic because so many of the insights remain true today, especially about how large teams are managed, and how complex deliverables are constructed, and how these two factors are intertwined.

Zoom forward 20 years and another favorite of mine is Clay Christensen’s The Innovators Dilemma — it talks about a familiar pattern: you get really good at doing one type of task, and you find that this can lead to an inability to handle rapid change. This book is all about how to develop a culture to support mission success, and how that same culture changes slowly compared to technology or market needs. The actions that assured success in one era act as impediments in moving rapidly to the next.

One other excellent book is The Alchemy of Growth — it talks about, among other things, how the personalities of leaders impact the growth of innovation in an organization.

What is something most people don’t know about you personally?

Dave McQueeney: I have a great passion for all sorts of aviation.  I am fascinated by almost anything to do with airplanes.  I like to study the physics, the engineering, the operations, all aspects of how airplanes are designed and employed. It is fun to ask why certain famous airplanes looked the way they did, and try to relate that set of design parameters back to the airplane’s mission requirements. I enjoy flying airplanes, especially high-fidelity scale models.  I am an avid builder and  flyer of replicas of WWII fighters, for example.

This interest in aviation seems to run in the family … my son Matthew who turned 24 today was recently offered his first job as an airline pilot.  We are all very excited about that.  Matt graduated from Purdue, went on to be a flight instructor there, and now flies for one of the regional airlines.  I told my friends here at work this morning if they get on a commuter airline flight and hear that a guy named McQueeney is flying, they don’t need to be concerned … it’s not me, it’s the McQueeney who actually knows what he is doing on the flight deck of an airliner!

Interview with Dave McQueeney was conducted by JD Kathuria

Read more interviews here: http://blog.executivebiz.com/category/interviews/

While all significant, one could argue that in today’s news cycle filled with headlines of CXO malfeasance and fraudulent activity that the 2008 National Capital Business Ethics Award (NCBEA) carries a great deal of weight. This year’s NCBEA winner, High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTi), is no stranger to the podium as it has been a semi-finalist every year since 2004.

“Administered by the Society of Financial Service Professionals, in partnership with George Mason University, the NCBEA recognizes companies that have demonstrated their integrity, civic and social responsibility, and business excellence in the Greater Washington region.”

HPTi’s win was announced at the October NCBEA awards gala, with the firm notching the distinction in the large-company category (Mid-Atlantic firms with 250+ employees). What HPTi notes in its press release issued today reveals a key component to instilling strong ethics for so many years. Rather than being reactionary or looking for “check-the-box” initiatives, HPTi “…ties its core values into essential business practices like performance reviews, promotions, interviews, and client satisfaction.” In other words, ethics are ingrained into every aspect of the business.

HPTi provides professional technology services to the federal government, with core capabilities that include computational science, enterprise technology and planning, systems architecture and engineering, secure mission software development, and knowledge discovery and visualization. Accepting the award on behalf of HPTi at the ceremony was Timothy P. Keenan, president and chairman of the board of directors. As one of the founders, Keenan has played a key role ingraining strong ethics throughout the organization.