Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff named entrepreneur and author Rod Beckstrom as the first director of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) on March 20.
“Rod will serve the department by coordinating cybersecurity efforts and improving situational awareness and information sharing across the federal government,” Chertoff said in a statement. “The department is leading efforts to protect federal networks and enhance capabilities that defend and reduce cyber-associated risks." The center will work with all agencies involved in cybersecurity to implement strategies that are consistent with privacy laws.
Beckstrom is co-author of the book, "The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations." As an entrepreneur, he most recently co-founded Twiki.net, a company that provides support services for an open source wiki software system. Before that, he co-founded Mergent Systems, which was bought by Commerce One. His first start-up was, CAT•S Software, which he launched when he was 24.
