Dell Technologies’ Steven Septoff: Agencies Should Prioritize Security in IT Modernization Efforts

Steven Septoff, vice president for U.S. federal at Dell Technologies, said agencies looking to meet the goals of the Federal Data Strategy should prioritize security as they modernize their information technology platforms to better protect government data, FedScoop reported Thursday.

"Security has got to be [built] within the technology … as you’re modernizing your IT infrastructure,” he said during a panel discussion in December.

Panelists cited the need for agencies to establish the foundation for data ethics as they implement the Federal Data Strategy. Septoff said agencies should have an open dialogue to facilitate the development of guidelines on data ethics.

“Agencies must design checks and balances around data to protect and serve the public good,” Septoff said.

Anne Levine, deputy chief data officer in the Federal Communications Commission’s office of economic and analytics, and Chris Haffer, CDO for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, joined Septoff during the panel discussion.