DHS offers detailed IT security recommendations for department grants applicants

Published 18 January 2006

DHS is becoming more specific, and more demanding, in its IT security recommendations for states and localities applying for DHS grants full

DHS preparedness directorate is urging state governments to prepare cybersecurity plans, adopt a new national XML-based model for information-sharing, and implement newly developed common rules for geospatial content. These and many other recommendations are at a greater level of detail relative to similar recommendations to states and local governments in the past. The IT-related recommendations are included in the FY2006 grant application kit for the distribution of $3.9 billion in federal homeland security grants to states and localities this year. For the first time, a cybersecurity guidance was attached as an appendix to the kit.

Guidelines for topics to be included in the cyber plans cover two dozen questions related to policy, training, IT deployment, and vulnerability. States and localities should not only develop cybersecurity plans, but should periodically test and exercise the plans. The largest grant program, a $2.5 billion State Homeland Security Grant Program, disburses money to the states for anti-terrorism planning, equipment, exercises, and training. The second largest is $862 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative, which distributes grants to major cities. This year, DHS let it be known that it expected neighboring cities to develop a regional security program, and indicate such collaborative regional efforts in their applications. States and cities may spend some of these urban security funds on IT and cybersecurity enhancements.

The preparedness directorate is strongly suggesting that entities receiving the grants use the National Information Exchange Model, an Extensible Markup Language foundation for information exchange developed by DoJ and DHS, expected to be released In late June. States and localities are also encouraged to adopt geospatial data guidelines developed by the Information Content Subgroup of the Federal Geographic Data Committee Homeland Security Working Group in October 2005.

-read more in DHS grant program guide and application kit