Classified Teleworking
Posted by Eric Pecinovsky on 25 Jun 2009 at 09:32 am | Tagged as: Clearance Jobs, Cleared Jobs, Cleared News, Cybersecurity
In the fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill a test program aims to set up a secure telework site in the D.C. metro area for federal employees who need to access classified networks. Nextgov reports that at least two sites in the D.C. area will be identified where they can test the efficacy of a secure teleworking location for government workers.
Teleworking is seen as a retention and recruitment tool to help deal with the latest BRAC round where DISA is being forced to move employees from Northern Virginia to Fort Meade. Approximately 70% of DISA employees live in Northern Virginia. More than 2,000 DISA employees already work remotely, but on unclassified work only.
That creaking noise pandoras box opening.
The other sound is that of papers being shuffled because of all the reports of lost/stolen/compromised classified computers that are now 100x’s easier to access.
Typical – agreed. Sounds like one big target to me.
“secure telework site”
Telework does not have to be done from a home. It can be from a central site that just doesn’t happen to be the same central site as DISA headquarters.
Say, Fredericksburg or wherever. Saves time, traffic, stress, but still allows a semi-centralized centralized location with security and access controls for the classified material and computers.
anonymous2
That makes perfect sense–at least controls are in place.
China will love this!!!
There is no such thing as a “secure telework site”.
I’m sure this is going to be a hardened SCIF or controlled area. I’m just interested in what controls they will have in place to prevent thumb drives, cell phones, ipods, cd/dvd-r/rw, printing, etc inside the classified environment.
This is a case where a big target is much safer (secure) than a lot of small, moving targets. One to several work sites for the telecommuters to work in, with protected facility, storage, and communication is my recommendation. The cost of providing physical security alone at each worker’s home is prohibitive, and how do you monitor or audit it adequately?