“Pushing the envelope” has meant many things over the years. Boundaries range from space, where a test pilot in a fighter jet first dared to reach beyond Earth’s gravity, to the laboratory, where researchers have vied for critical scientific breakthroughs that change lives.

But now that envelope has expanded to include the ethereal realm of cyberspace and cyberattacks, and with the expansion, the recognition that only together will the separate organizations succeed in overcoming threats.

The new U.S. National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), under the DHS umbrella, aims at being the one-stop shop for monitoring and protecting U.S. cyber infrastructure and networks. What’s needed for success? Expanding the public-private sector cooperation already underway at the center.

Executive Editor Maryann Lawlor examines this cooperative mission and other NCCIC goals in her article, “Center Fortifies Cyberspace Front Line,” in this month’s issue of SIGNAL Magazine.

NCCIC is built to accommodate representatives from numerous organizations, but DHS currently focuses heavily on the federal executive civilian branch—the .gov domain. It works best, however, when government and industry personnel work as a team.

To accommodate a cooperative environment, the impressive center has a three-tier classified watch floor featuring a knowledge wall and 61 computer stations staffed 24/7. One NCCIC tool is the EINSTEIN program, a US-CERT automated process that manages security information across the federal government. The center also has a malware lab where experts examine and mitigate threats.

To protect nongovernment-owned infrastructure, NCCIC’s operations center is already interoperating with some government agencies and corporate entities. According to DHS’ Rear Adm. Michael A. Brown, USN, deputy assistant secretary for cyber security and communications, the next few months will be spent determining how best to operate together:

We are merging and synchronizing operations, as opposed to merging the organizations, and that’s just the beginning. There is a lot more we want to do with the public-private partnership in building out capabilities and capacity.

The cybersecurity realm also calls for a rare breed of professionals with a unique skill set, and they’re hard to find. DHS has increased the number of cybersecurity professionals it’s hiring, Adm. Brown says:

We’re looking for analysts and engineers who can work together. And we’re not the only ones who are looking for these skills; both the private sector and other government organizations are looking for these professionals, and that’s the challenge—people.

Personnel are the most important part of the cybersecurity equation, along with the best technologies, which they require to do their jobs right. NCCIC plans to ensure that no matter how much further the envelope of cyber technology is pushed, the fruits of our cyber labor won’t be breached.

Do you believe the NCCIC is equipped to handle and accomplish its mission? Can any single organization be? Will layers of bureaucracy hinder its effectiveness? Discuss your ideas here.

You know it’s coming–tax season. There’s a reason I went into publishing: I’m terrible at math. So for people with poor accounting skills like me, tools like the H&R Block Tax Answers app are a lifesaver. The free application offers befuddled taxpayers the chance to pose their questions to tax experts and browse others’ questions, find definitions for hundreds of tax terms, determine their tax know-how by taking quizzes, and find a local H&R Block office.

For more information or to download the application, visit the iTunes store.

These sites are not affiliated with AFCEA or SIGNAL Magazine, and we are not responsible for the content or quality of the products offered. When visiting new Web sites, please use proper Internet security procedures.

“The difference there is [that] we don’t want to prioritize and think just in terms of ‘how do we secure information’ without thinking through our real objective of assuring support for DOD missions.”–Mark Orndorff, director of the PEO for Mission Assurance and Network Operations, DISA

Find out what Orndorff is talking about by reading the full article, available on SIGNAL Online.

Outback Steakhouse has pledged $1 million to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency and morale support for active troops, veterans and their families. The public can help the restaurant chain meet its obligation by dining at Outback restaurants in the United States during the month of March and ordering off the “Red, White and Bloomin’” menu. Proceeds from those orders will go toward the $1 million donation. Anyone who wants to donate $5 directly to Operation Homefront can text “HERO” to 50555.

More information is available on the Outback Web site.

I’m a fan of all things Discovery: Animal Planet, TLC, and of course the Science and Military channels. So I’m particularly excited about the Discovery News iPhone application. Fans like me can get instant access to the most recent news articles, videos, special features and more, ensuring they’ll always have the latest science and tech information at their fingertips.

Features include a “Top News” section, access to more than 300 stories and videos throughout the month, and a search function that lets users browse for specific results within eight topics, including “Earth,” “Space” and “Tech.”

The app is available for iPhones and iPod Touch and costs $0.99. For more information, visit the iTunes store.

These sites are not affiliated with AFCEA or SIGNAL Magazine, and we are not responsible for the content or quality of the products offered. When visiting new Web sites, please use proper Internet security procedures.

The U.S. Defense Department has announced its policy on “Responsible and Effective Use of Internet-Based Capabilities”–in less formal words, its social and new media policy. This is the DOD’s first official policy on new media. It states that the NIPRNET default will be open access so that all of the DOD can use new and social media. Under this policy, prohibited content sites such as gambling sites will still be blocked, but otherwise there will be open access across the department.

For more information, read the announcement or view the policy.

“If one of those types of attacks were to occur anywhere in the United States, nowhere else has the assets we have that are well-trained and ready. But those are the ones you hope never happen. No matter how good we are, there is no good outcome.”—Cathy L. Lanier, chief of police, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C.

Find out what Chief Lanier is talking about in the full article, available online now at SIGNAL Online.

According to Defense Secretary Gates, the Navy plans to repeal its ban on women serving on submarines. He signed a letter to Congress last week that outlines the Navy’s plan to lift the policy by phasing in women assigned to subs. No change can take effect until Congress has been in session for 30 days following the notification.

For more information, read the full press release.

Or rather, insignia. The U.S. Navy’s chief of naval operations has approved officers and enlisted to wear the Information Dominance Corps Warfare insignia once they have completed a qualification program.

The warfare insignia was created to provide a common link among the IDC communities and to institute a rigorous qualification program to identify the Navy’s information dominance professionals. The IDC will consist of more than 44,000 active and Reserve Navy officers, enlisted and civilian professionals who specialize in information-intensive fields.

For more information, read the full press release. To view the insignias, visit the Navy Uniform Matters Web site.

Army Technology Live is the U.S. Army RDECOM’s blog. Its purpose is to inform the public about Army initiatives and technologies and to showcase the work produced by the Army technology team. Pretty cool, right? Well, now the self-described “science and technology command” has launched a free iPhone application so that fans can have access to the blog anywhere and anytime. The app downloads current news features, including entries to the Army Technology Live blog, the official RDECOM Web site, job listings, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and more. For more information about the app, visit the iTunes store.

These sites are not affiliated with AFCEA or SIGNAL Magazine, and we are not responsible for the content or quality of the products offered. When visiting new Web sites, please use proper Internet security procedures.