Agencies are taking more of an enterprise approach to improve their cybersecurity instead of trying to fix problems as they come up on a bureau by bureau basis. Of course, chief information officers say their tactics received a huge lift from the rash of data breaches last year.

?Security is not in isolation of anything else we do,? said Lisa Schlosser, CIO at the department of Housing and Urban Development. ?Incidents keep the executive?s attention for a week or so, but the CIO must constantly take on the leadership role and explain why security important to the agency?s entire mission.?

The Defense Department is one successful example of taking an enterprise approach to information technology security, said John Hunter, DOD?s director of operations in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Defense Defensewide Information Assurance Program.

Hunter said the mandated use of the Common Access Card to log into DOD?s network has made the military?s systems more secure, and another initiative to standardize the use of intrusion detection, intrusion prevention and asset management software from McAfee across all of DOD?s 5 million computers will provide additional benefits...