Microsoft’s Paul Nicholas: National Cyber Agency Could Help Harmonize Security Policies

Paul Nicholas, senior director of trustworthy computing at Microsoft, has said he believes the establishment of a national cybersecurity agency would help the government prioritize and coordinate cyber policies as well as address cyber threats.

Nicholas wrote in a blog post published Feb. 19 the company’s new whitepaper calls on governments to equip the national cyber agency with a “clear mandate.”

“Having a clear mandate for the agency will help set expectations for the roles and responsibilities and facilitate the intra-governmental processes,” he noted.

The document also recommends the implementation of a five-part organizational structure to facilitate “multifaceted interaction” across regulatory, government and international stakeholders as well as provide the national agency with “statutory powers.”

The national cyber agency should have the ability to adapt and evolve amid technological changes and evolving threat landscape.