Microsoft is working with the US government in studying one of the most pressing challenges in federal information security, one that is critically important to future homeland security and information-sharing efforts: multilevel security workstations.
An antiquated IT infrastructure and cultural turf battles among the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and various intelligence agencies resulted in a lack of information sharing and analysis that contributed to the national security community's failure to head off the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the results of a congressional investigation.
The changing of the cybersecurity guard at the US Department of Homeland Security, coupled with complacency on the part of some corporate executives, has put a higher premium on information-sharing and cooperation between the private sector and the government.