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The Trump administration has announced that it will impose new metrics on federal agencies related to cybersecurity.  Agencies and departments will be required to comply with the framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and report back to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the White House.

Homeland security advisor Thomas Bossert stated that the President’s budget will include an increase in federal funding to combat cyber threats, and that the administration’s priorities vis-à-vis cybersecurity are to modernize and centralize the existing system. To this end, the Administration intends to partner with business, including Silicon Valley, and state and local governments, on cybersecurity.

In the federal sector, the White House’s March 2017 budget blueprint calls for $1.5 billion for DHS activities to protect federal networks and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. Additionally, a cybersecurity executive order will reportedly be finalized in the near future.

Plans to impose the NIST cybersecurity framework on federal agencies illustrate the Framework’s increasing importance as a standard for cybersecurity, not just for government agencies, but more broadly throughout the information ecosystem.  With security breaches, state-sponsored cyber-attacks, and ransomware demands increasing, the Framework offers useful guidance on processes and actions designed to enhance data security for government and industry alike.