Small Business Technology News
National Security Agency Wants More Cybersecurity Contracts To Small Businesses
Written by Jenna Weiner
Published: 8/2/2011
After July's Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship committee hearings, the news for small businesses was that the National Security Agency wanted to award them more cybersecurity contracts, according to a report in Fierce Government.
After July's Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship committee hearings, the news for small businesses was that the National Security Agency wanted to award them more cybersecurity contracts, according to a report in Fierce Government.
The NSA's senior acquisition executive Jennifer Walsmith said that the agency is working diligently to meet its 25 percent goal of giving cybersecurity technology contract dollars to small businesses, but the department is currently only at 17.33 percent. Small businesses at the Senate hearings said the efforts to get them contracts were not enough, according to the news source.
"It's been a fight," said Charles Iheagwara, chief marketing officer at Unatek, according to Fierce Government. Iheagwara said his company has bid for 50 state contracts and won zero, but won eight federal contracts. Patrick Gallagher, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said small businesses are the key for cybersecurity innovation.
Congressman Peter J. Roskam, a Republican from Illinois, will introduce the Congressional Small Business Information Technology Caucus this week at the Cybersecurity Summit, according to eSecurity Planet's website. The caucus will focus on small business IT issues, and CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux said he expects security issues will be a large part of what the caucus deals with. The caucus may also discuss small business contracts.
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