IAC willing to host security forum

The Industry Advisory Council board voted unanimously April 13 to create a forum for public and private sector chief information security officers (CISOs) if the CIO Council requests it.

"We'd be willing to help," said Bob Woods, IAC chairman. "We'd like something in terms of a request, or at least a get-together to figure out how to do this."

Board members “believe we’ve got the structure in place with the Information Privacy and Security Shared Interest Group,” he added.

Efforts by Steve O’Keeffe, principal of local marketing and public relations firm O’Keeffe and Co., to create a for-profit CISO Exchange ended today amid government and industry concerns that it appeared to sell influence over federal policy.

"We have a structure in place already," Woods told Federal Computer Week. "It works, we’ve got people ready to help."

Nothing from the company's structure would remain if IAC sets up a security forum, Woods said. “It's not a hand-off deal, and I don't want to perpetuate that idea at all.”

O'Keeffe officials planned to charge companies $75,000 for full participation in the exchange, which would be limited to six systems integrator representatives. Other industry officials could have joined for $25,000 or $5,000, with varying levels of access and authority over exchange efforts.

Were IAC to create a CISO forum, participation from companies that are not part of IAC would likely be permitted, Woods said. Members of the shared interest groups typically are IAC members, but if outside parties want to join, "I think we'd be OK with that," Wood said.