New cybersecurity chief Howard Schmidt
(Credit: The White House)The White House's new cybersecurity chief faces a tough agenda, but will be able to draw on the lessons of a 40-year career, including stints at Microsoft and eBay.
Former security adviser Howard Schmidt is returning to the White House as President Obama's new cybersecurity coordinator, the White House announced Tuesday.
In his new role, Schmidt will report to the National Security Council. Schmidt will also "have regular access to the president," said an official who spoke to The New York Times.
Earlier this year, President Obama initiated a review of the government's cybersecurity policies in an effort to streamline operations. Turf wars among various agencies and a perceived weakness in the Department of Homeland Security had raised red flags, prompting the president to declare that the country was not adequately prepared on the cybersecurity front.
Following that review, the White House identified a need for a new cybersecurity chief, then plunged into a tricky, months-long process that now brings Schmidt back to public service.
President Barack Obama greets his new White House cybersecurity chief Howard A. Schmidt in the Cross Hall of the White House.
(Credit: Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)In a recorded speech introducing himself, Schmidt said he sees information technology as offering great opportunities but also great dangers to national security, public safety, economic competitiveness, and personal privacy. As dependence on technology increases, he said, the need to protect our security and privacy also increases.
As such, Schmidt said that the president has directed him to focus on several key areas:
• developing a new and comprehensive strategy to secure U.S. networks to ensure an organized response to future cyber incidents;
• beefing up both public and private partnerships in the U.S. and abroad;
• promoting research and development of next-generation technologies;
• and leading a national campaign to promote cybersecurity, awareness, and education.
Acknowledging that Washington can't solve cybersecurity problems on its own, Schmidt said his agenda is to bring together the government, the private sector, and other stakeholders as part of a new and comprehensive cyberstrategy to strengthen online defenses.
Following Schmidt's appointment, a variety of security analysts offered their thoughts.
In a Tuesday blog post, Randy Abrams of security vendor ESET said that Schmidt is very smart and personable, possessing a depth of knowledge and experience that makes him one of the best possible candidates for the job. But Abrams cautioned people not to expect miracles or fast changes as Schmidt will face huge obstacles trying to coordinate security across different government agencies, most of which have people who think their way is the only way to do things.
Phillip Dunkelberger, president and CEO of security vendor PGP, where Schmidt serves on the board of directors, said: "Howard's familiarity with public sector, private sector, large vendors and small innovative companies should be a great asset to this unique position; one that will just expand as our nation's dependency on cyber communications continues to grow." He also stressed that Schmidt will need to jump in quickly and form a solid working relationship with the Department of Defense and with the federal government's chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, and chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra.
Schmidt brings to his new post a lengthy resume of government service, with a particular niche in computer crimes and forensics. Early in his career, he worked for the FBI's National Drug Intelligence Center, where he ran the Computer Exploitation Team. He also was a special agent and program director for the Air Force, where he set up one of the government's first dedicated computer forensic labs.
His new post will be Schmidt's second stint at the White House. In December 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks, he was appointed vice chairman for President Bush's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board and deputy to former White House cybersecurity czar Richard Clarke. Schmidt left his post in February 2003 to return to the private sector. During his tenure with the Bush administration, he helped create a new cybersecurity plan, which at the time was criticized as being too watered down, a charge that Schmidt disputed.
In the private sector, Schmidt served as chief security officer for Microsoft from 1997 to 2001 before joining the White House. After leaving his government post, he joined eBay in 2003 as vice president for security.
More recently, Schmidt was the president and CEO of the Information Security Forum, an international nonprofit organization that focuses on risks and research in the cyberworld.
Updated December 23, 4:00 a.m. PST with comments from security analysts.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt advised Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, but apparently he's willing to diversify when it comes to his influence.
Schmidt will be international business adviser to the U.K.'s Conservative Party, according to leader David Cameron, the Associated Press reported Monday.
It's not his first time in the group's orbit. Schmidt gave a speech at a U.K. Conservative Party event in 2006, too.
Another adviser is Christopher Gent, the former CEO of mobile phone network giant Vodafone, according to the report.
WASHINGTON--Government leaders need to do more than provide bailout money for America's flailing economy, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said Monday. They need to use the bailout programs as an opportunity to invest in infrastructure and look for more innovative solutions to persistent problems.
Addressing a large audience of academics, government workers, and others in Washington on Monday in his role as chairman of the board of the New America Foundation, Schmidt laid out the myriad ways in which the government could open the doors for innovation and long-term economic growth.
While he claims he is not interested in becoming President-elect Barack Obama's chief technology officer, Schmidt's talk on Monday gave not only technical solutions to problems like the need for new energy sources and immigration reform, but policy-based answers as well.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt on Monday discussed ways the government could spur economic growth through innovation and investments in infrastructure.
(Credit: Stephanie Condon/ CNET News)Google has already made inroads influencing how the government conducts its everyday business, as evidenced by Obama's use of YouTube, and the firm opinions Schmidt offered Monday indicate the company could have a strong voice in the political philosophy of the next administration as well.
"This may be the toughest economic time that most of us will face in our lifetimes," Schmidt said, but it is also a time to look for opportunities.
"Let's not just have bailout programs," he said. "Why don't we use the stimulus money to get infrastructure built?"
Schmidt emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure, both physically and otherwise. He suggested opening up the development of smart electric grids to more innovation and creating more competition among broadband providers.
"We have to find the right balance of incentives," he said. "We've had the most extreme version of the free market approach, and we've seen some of its consequences."
Those incentives, he said, could include giving matching funds to state utilities for energy efficiency programs they already run. It could also mean funding auto companies that meet emissions standards.
Government systems could also benefit from modeling the open nature of the Internet, Schmidt said.
"Open systems have this clear promise of innovation and greater choice," he said.
He called the Federal Communications Commission's decision to open up unused broadcast TV spectrum for unlicensed use an "act of remarkable courage, and one which we applaud."
"You never know where innovation's going to come from, but with an open platform, you welcome it," he said.
With that in mind, Schmidt said it is essential that "the small start-ups with funny names get founded and get funded."
He applauded Obama's promise to double federal funding for basic research, calling it "the core aspect of America's competitiveness," but one that is dependent on government funding.
Other steps can be taken to help the U.S. maintain its competitiveness, he said, such as reforming visa policies for skilled workers.
"We train these people, we bring them to the country, and then we don't give them a visa to work here where they would pay lots of taxes," Schmidt said.
As the government embraces innovative reforms, it should reform its own practices, Schmidt said, to create more public engagement and restore trust in government.
"We can stream almost all public meetings," he said. "The bandwidth is there, so why don't we get more people involved?"
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has taken himself out of the running to be the United States' first chief technology officer.
"I love working at Google, and I'm very happy to stay at Google, so the answer is no," Schmidt said Friday when queried on the subject by CNBC host Jim Cramer during an appearance on his television show. (In a New York Times interview published Saturday, he also said, "I am extremely happy serving the shareholders of Google as the CEO, so I have no interest in serving as a government employee.") Schmidt then quickly changed the subject by steering the conversation toward reports that Microsoft was trying to steal Verizon's search deal from Google.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt says he likes running his company too much to serve as President-elect Barack Obama's chief technology officer.
Schmidt, who campaigned on behalf of President-elect Barack Obama, has been advising the Obama campaign on technology and energy matters, and is Transition Economic Advisory Board.
As my colleague Declan McCullagh notes, it's not an easy job to assume:
Obama wants the CTO to "ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies, and services for the 21st century," plus protecting the security of .gov computer networks. That's a pretty tall task for one person.
So, if Schmidt has excused himself, who else is up to the challenge? Internet pioneer Vint Cerf has been suggested as a candidate. Google's chief Internet evangelist publicly supported Obama, primarily because of his position on Net neutrality. But if Cerf's boss at Google took a pass, will Cerf be comfortable accepting the position?
Ex-regulator has also been suggested as a candidate for the position.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy will bring some tech experience to an advisory board for President-elect Barack Obama, according to press reports about an announcement from the organization.
The 17-member Transition Economic Advisory Board (TEAB) also will get a dose of technology experience from Richard Parsons, chairman of the board at AOL parent company Time Warner. Schmidt, who already had been an adviser to the Obama campaign, endorsed Obama in October.
The board is set to meet Friday before Obama's first press conference as president-elect. A report in The Guardian, among others, carried the full list:
• David Bonior (member of the House of Representatives from 1977 to 2003)
• Warren Buffett (chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway)
• Roel Campos (former Securities and Exchange commissioner)
• William Daley (Midwest chairman for JPMorgan Chase; secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1997 to 2000)
• William Donaldson (chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2003 to 2005)
• Roger Ferguson (president and CEO of TIAA-CREF; former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve board of governors)
• Jennifer Granholm (governor of Michigan)
• Anne Mulcahy (chairman and CEO of Xerox)
• Richard Parsons (chairman of Time Warner)
• Penny Pritzker (CEO of Classic Residence by Hyatt)
• Robert Reich (professor at University of California at Berkeley; secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor from 1993 to 1997)
• Robert Rubin (chairman and director of the Citigroup executive committee; secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department from 1995 to 1999)
• Eric Schmidt (chairman and CEO of Google)
• Lawrence Summers (professor at Harvard University; managing director of DE Shaw; secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 1999 to 2001)
• Laura Tyson (professor at Haas School of Business of University of California at Berkeley; chairman of the National Economic Council from 1995 to 1996; chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers from 1993 to 1995)
• Antonio Villaraigosa (mayor of Los Angeles)
• Paul Volcker (chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987)
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Silicon Valley heavyweight Google, plans to campaign on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
On Tuesday, just two weeks before Election Day on November 4, Schmidt will join Sen. Obama at an event in Florida to moderate a panel on the economy, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Schmidt has unofficially been advising the Obama campaign on technology and energy matters.
Eric Schmidt addresses bloggers at the Democratic National Convention in August.
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET Networks)Schmidt says the endorsement of a party nominee is his own, and not a statement on behalf of his company. "I'm doing this personally," he said in an interview with the Journal. "Google is officially neutral."
In August, Schmidt made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, though not on the main stage. Rather, he took questions from bloggers in the Big Tent workspace outside the convention center, where he said Obama got a big boost in his campaign efforts from the Internet.
Google has drawn the attention of antitrust regulators in Washington for a proposed advertising deal with fellow Internet giant Yahoo, though the Justice Department has yet to take or recommend any formal action.
Schmidt addressed that issue in his interview with the Journal. "My sense is, the Justice Department makes judgments on these issues independent of politics," he said.
On Sunday, Obama got a surprise endorsement from Colin Powell, who earlier served as secretary of state under President Bush.
Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival, has the backing of Silicon Valley notables including Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
Google was not immediately available to comment on the Journal report.
- prev
- 1
- next
