Elizabeth Hyman Posts

Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation. Small business owners in key swing states consider Obama debate victor. Obama supports math and science education at debate. Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure during conferences, speeches, panels and other events throughout the country, said Politico. Top White House cybersecurity advisor Michael ...

Last summer, Congress passed the Budget Control Act (BCA) in order to raise the debt ceiling. The BCA dictated that in the event that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which was created by the legislation, was unable to find $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, then across-the-board cuts, or sequestrations, would be triggered. The Committee failed to find the necessary spending cuts and thus, sequestration is currently scheduled to go into effect on January 1st, 2013. Sequestration wil ...

Cybersecurity startups raising more money than ever. Military veterans struggle to sell skills. Obama and Romney offer differing strategies to foster entrepreneurism. Cybersecurity startups in the Washington, D.C., area are raising more money than ever as investors see it as a burgeoning industry, says the Washington Business Journal. Entrepreneurs are viewed as having the upper hand these days as they have “more funding options from a wider range of venture and private equity sources, ...

The energy and attention of President Obama and Governor Romney’s presidential campaigns have shifted to the debates. The first debate, which focused on domestic issues – everything from the state of the economy and tax reform to deficit reduction and spending, was viewed by over 66 million people. The general consensus was that Romney won the first debate. A CNN poll found that 57 percent of respondents thought Romney won the debate while 25 percent thought Obama won. A CBS News poll of uncommi ...

Obama and Romney face engaged technology industry. Executive order on cybersecurity by Obama predicted. Bills that would impose sales taxes on online goods and services debated in Congress.Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are facing a technology industry that is more politically and financially engaged in the election this year than in elections past, says the New York Times. While both parties have combined to raise more money from tech donors than in 2008, Romney has fared ...

Demand for cybersecurity professionals outweighs supply. Obama administration boasts about SMB tax cuts. Romney and Obama close in several key states. Demand for cybersecurity professionals outweighs the supply of qualified candidates, driving up compensation and increasing competition among employers in need of highly skilled workers, says the Washington Post. This means employers have less power as job candidates seek more attractive offers. President Barack Obama’s administration bo ...

On September 26th, in partnership with the Illinois Technology Association (ITA), CompTIA launched its second TechVoice Chapter in Illinois.  The official kick-off, which was also co-hosted by the Partnership for a New American Economy, took place at the ITA offices in downtown Chicago.  The aim of this first gathering was to introduce the 65 attendees to a proposal now pending in the United States Congress called the Startup 2.0 Act (H.R. 5893 and S. 3217).  By hearing from one of the Congressi ...

Sen. Jay Rockefeller solicits info on cyberthreats. Senate blocks a $1 billion veterans jobs bill. House of Representatives blocks legislation easing retaining foreign workers educated in STEM fields. Sen. Jay Rockefeller is sending letters to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in order to understand how companies handle cyberthreats and what they believe the government should do to help, says the Wall Street Journal. The surveys are meant to guide lawmakers on how to proceed with cybersecurity leg ...

Small business owners feel policies favor large businesses. Republicans oppose more regulations to boost private businesses’ cybersecurity. Former FBI official calls for clarity on how to combat cyberthreats. Small business owners feel too many policies endorsed by politicians favor large businesses, says Bloomberg. SMBs say politicians unjustly believe that small companies operate just as larger corporations do when in reality they are not operationally similar. Republicans feel tha ...

White House drafts preliminary executive order intended to protect U.S. computer systems. Congress back in session; expected to react. The Obama administration has sought to boost loans to small businesses. The White House has drafted a preliminary executive order with the hope of protecting our nation’s computer systems, says the Washington Post. The exact dimensions of the order are still being debated, but it would create voluntary standards for businesses. With Congress back in ses ...