GAO Says DHS Slow to Integrate Network Disruption Response Centers
The Homeland Security Department is behind schedule on integrating centers dealing with disruptions on voice and data networks, GAO said Thursday. “Until DHS completes the integration of the two centers, it risks being unable to efficiently plan for and respond to disruptions to communications infrastructure and the data and applications that travel on this infrastructure,” GAO said. That increases “the probability that communications will be unavailable or limited in times of need,” it said.
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In September, a DHS task force recommended combining the centers, which plan for, monitor and respond to disruptions to communications infrastructure. The centers also oversee security of data and applications on the networks, GAO said. In November, DHS completed the first of three integration steps, moving the operations center for communications infrastructure, NCC Watch, to office space adjacent to the center for data and applications, US-CERT, GAO said.
Since then, DHS “has not organizationally merged the two centers or invited key private sector critical infrastructure officials to participate in the planning, monitoring, and other activities of the proposed joint operations center,” GAO said. Integration hasn’t been a top priority for DHS, which has been focused on a cyber initiative for the president, GAO said. DHS doesn’t “have a strategic plan or related guidance” on how to integrate “and has not developed specific tasks and milestones for achieving the two remaining integration steps,” it said. DHS officials told GAO they're working on a strategic plan, but “the plan is in draft and has been so since mid-2007.” Officials “could not” say when it would be done, GAO said.
GAO recommended DHS complete its strategic plan and define tasks and milestones for completing integration, it said. DHS concurred with the first recommendation, but disagreed that the centers should be completely merged, GAO said. Instead, DHS supports “integrating overlapping functions,” GAO said. GAO rejected the idea. “There is strong evidence that DHS’s ability to respond is negatively impacted by the use of separate centers, rather than a single integrated and merged entity,” it said. “Our past work has shown that overlapping roles for incident response have adversely affected DHS’s ability to prioritize and coordinate incident response activities.”