DHS plans cybersecurity, data center investments

The proposed federal budget released by the Obama administration last week calls for $900 billion in technology-related investment at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It includes $192.2 million for work on a data center consolidation project that is already in progress. The aim is to shift applications and systems from 24 data centers to two enterprise-wide data centers.

DHS also wants additional money for its E-verify program, with $103.4 million for planned improvements. E-verify is an online system that can be used by employers to check a potential employee's legal-work-status through records in the Social Security and immigration databases.

In addition, DHS plans to spend $214.7 million to procure and install 500 advanced imaging machines at airport checkpoints to detect dangerous materials, and it requested $379 million for its National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) to develop capabilities for preventing and responding to cyber attacks.

The department plans to use the NCSD money to identify and reduce vulnerabilities within both its .gov and .com Internet domains. NCSD is a division within DHS that was created to work with public, private and international organizations to secure cyberspace and the U.S. government's cyber infrastructure.

Most of the cybersecurity funding in the 2011 federal budget is believed to be in the military and intelligence communities, although the specific funding recommendations were kept secret.

The Defense Department budget identified technologies such as cybersecurity and electronic warfare as "key components in the ongoing task of re-balancing the military to focus on current and emerging threats."

For more on DHS plans:
- check out this InformationWeek article [1]
- read this nextgov.com article [2]

Related Articles:
DHS to hire 1,000 cybersecurity experts [3]
IG: DHS gets good grades on intel [4]