President Obama Tuesday named his cybersecurity czar, seven months after vowing to personally select the right person to direct the government's strategy for protecting computer systems. The job went to Howard A. Schmidt, a cyber-adviser to President George W. Bush and a former executive at Microsoft and eBay.

The name of the position has been modified, with Schmidt being called the cyber security coordinator, not a czar, a term widely used by the media. In a video posted on WhiteHouse.gov, Schmidt talked about today's technology challenges as a time of  "great opportunity and great danger."

Schmidt's name, along with many others, surfaced months ago as a potential candidate to coordinate cybersecurity policy across the federal government, from civilian to military agencies. The delay in making this appointment came from tension within the White House over how much authority the person should have, according to the Washington Post.

Schmidt, who does not require Senate confirmation, reports to deputy national security adviser John O. Brennan, and will work closely on cybersecurity issues relating to the economy. White House economic adviser Larry Summers insisted that the new appointee's role be focused as such as reports of hack attacks on financial institutions dramatically increased this year.

Schmidt is well-known in the cyberworld. He has had a distinguished career in dealing with cybersecurity. From 2001 to 2003, he was a special adviser for cyberspace security and handled the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. Before he joined the Bush White House, he worked as chief security officer at Microsoft. He went on to be vice president and chief information security officer at eBay.

For more on Howard Schmidt:
- see this Washington Post article

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