Certification - May 2008 - (Page 27) “It was the middle of August, it was hot [and] food was spoiling,” Lohrmann explained. “People were going out to eat, restaurants were serving spoiled food [and] people were getting sick. The food inspectors were out there trying to do their job, but guess what? Their computers weren’t working because there was no power. Those are the kinds of issues where we’re the infrastructure to support all of the functions of state government in those kinds of emergencies.” Strategizing for these emergencies is a big part of Lohrmann’s job. He works with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team to better protect Michigan’s information. Another part of the CISO’s role is overseeing the security of information day in and day out, including processes such as securing laptops and ensuring encryption is working and relationships with antivirus vendors are in place. Lohrmann also manages the writing of government policies and security projects. The last third of Lohrmann’s role is acting as a liaison, which means getting out and talking to people. He meets with employees from Michigan’s Department of Information Technology, his colleagues, his team of 30 employees and agencies of state government, from police to the Department of Management and Budget. “Culture is a huge part of this,” he said. “Our number one task is changing the culture of state government and helping people become security aware.” May 2008 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE 27
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