Federal Systems

The Federal Information Security Act (FISMA) of 2002 requires federal agencies to maintain an inventory of its computer systems. The agencies are supposed to identify potential risks and protections for the potential risks. The overall effect is for the agencies to develop an information security program that is uniform. Independent agency directed evaluations are to be held annually to determine the state of the security program as it relates to its overall effectiveness and in regards to its compliance with FISMA standards. FISMA also holds a provision for the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to maintain a functioning information security center whose mission is to provide assistance to federal agencies in dealing with computer incidents and in analyzing data from security incidents. The act gives the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) the ability to develop the standards and regulations for security on systems used by the federal government. In a nutshell, FISMA establishes several regulations. Two of the important ones are that the Director of OMB is tasked with overseeing the policies that involve the security of federal computer systems and the Committee on National Security Systems overlooks national security systems (Moteff 5).