Symantec’s Chris Townsend Calls on Feds to Change Complex Cybersecurity Efforts

Chris Townsend, vice president of federal at Symantec, has said federal agencies should change how they manage limited cyber resources as the current approach of the government leads to complexity in the cybersecurity environment, Federal News Network reported Monday.

In mid-2018, the White House released its first cyber risk assessment for the federal government that found 59 of the 71 agencies involved were at risk for cyber threats due to mismanagement, lack of threat information and ineffective allocations of cyber resources.

Townsend said the federal government should create a standard approach to protecting their network, particularly those who are already moving to the cloud.

He suggested that agencies establish redundant systems both on-premise and in the cloud to improve cybersecurity in the two areas.

Symantec also recently joined over 140 industry partners to launch the Integrated Cyber Defense Exchange program aimed at helping the government reduce complexity in its cyber efforts.

Townsend said ICDx would encourage collaboration across the commercial sector and the government to address emerging cybersecurity challenges.

“This is a mindset shift and a different approach,” he said. “Industry and government need to sit down and figure out how to solve for all this complexity and move toward a more integrated platform approach.”