Information Sharing Emerges as Gap Between Agencies and Vendors

Information Sharing Emerges as Gap Between Agencies and Vendors

Among all information security issues, the greatest gap between federal agencies and vendors is their perception of the importance of information sharing, according to a report released byINPUT, an authority on government business.

In a survey of federal agencies addressing information security issues, information sharing was repeatedly volunteered as being one of their most urgent issues. INPUT's analysis indicates that information sharing was defined by respondents to include identity management/authorization across multiple agencies and systems, information access rules for different levels of authorization across systems, access by non-federal personnel, and emergency access rules in operational situations.

"This feedback from agencies provides an opportunity for vendors to modify or hone their business development activities and their marketing strategies to meet the information sharing needs of federal agencies," said Prabhat Agarwal, manager, information security analysis at INPUT. "Through education and more effective communication, vendors can refine their messaging to help agencies better understand how their solutions can help them attain their information sharing goals."

INPUT asserts that the gap between federal agencies and vendors in their perception of the information sharing issue is a product of ineffective communication among the entities and has made several strategic recommendations for vendors throughout the Information Security Issue Analysis report. The burden falls upon vendors to monitor, educate, and communicate with agencies to ensure they are aware of and addressing their greatest needs as they evolve.

"IT vendors must bridge the information sharing gap by communicating their expertise to federal agencies," added Agarwal. "Developing a marketing campaign with clearly defined differentiators and presenting these to federal agencies through agency or vendor-sponsored events is a strong way to ensure that your solutions are effectively extended to agencies with a need."

Beyond information sharing, federal agencies also deemed identity management, the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), intrusion protection, privacy concerns, and the need for established best practices and standardized metrics as issues of high importance.