Tas government mulls cyber security operations centre

Launches information-gathering exercise

The Tasmanian government is examining the feasibility of launching a cyber security operations centre to boost cross-government infosec efforts.

“The Tasmanian Government is developing a Cybersecurity Program which aims to build on and enhance the safety and resilience of digital infrastructure while promoting cybersecurity awareness,” a spokesperson for the Office of eGovernment told Computerworld.

Implementation of a CSOC has been “identified as a potential measure to enhance the Tasmanian government’s ability to detect and respond to potential future cyber threats.”

The state government has launched a formal request for information (RFI) process, which the spokesperson said would gather information about the types of contemporary CSOC services that are available, potential service models, and indicative costs for those services.

The RFI is purely an information-gathering exercise, but the spokesperson said that the government hopes to use the process to aid in the development of a CSOC business case.

“The Tasmanian government encourages all interested parties to respond and the RFI closes on 14 November,” the spokesperson said.

The 2017-18 state budget earmarked ongoing funding of $300,000 per annum for a cyber security program.

A number of Australian jurisdictions have been seeking to boost cyber security across government agencies.

In June this year, Western Australia detailed its plans to address long-running problems with security among state government agencies.

In September, the New South Wales government launched its first cyber security strategy, based on a $20 million action plan. Development and implementation of the strategy has been overseen by Dr Maria Milosavljevic, the state’s first whole-of-government chief information security officer.

In May the Victorian government revealed it would allocate $17.6 million over four years for the state’s cyber security strategy. In October last year the state government announced it had hired John O’Driscoll as its inaugural CISO, following the launch earlier in 2017 of its cyber security strategy.

South Australia in 2017 also appointed a whole-of-government CISO.

The Tasmanian government last year sought to hire a CISO before abandoning the plan.

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