DHS Opens Silicon Valley Outpost

DHS Opens Silicon Valley Outpost

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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set up an outpost deep in Silicon Valley to have better access to exciting startups and new technologies, and to shape the way these technologies evolve. Those backing the initiative hope that it grows into a major presence that crystallises programme requirements from the Department’s various components into workable solutions that could give agents direct access to cutting-edge technology.

The Silicon Valley office is supported by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). It’s not a large presence for now, not by any stretch, but it’s growing. “We’re still determining what bandwidth this office will require,” says the office’s managing director Melissa Ho, former chief of staff at S&T’s cybersecurity division.

DHS usually works with off-the-shelf products and components. This can complicate matters when a product might be good, but it doesn’t fit mission requirements exactly or even nearly enough. So if DHS can “shape that shelf in any way,” they only stand to gain from the process. Vendors “can’t just figure out what they [agents] need without us telling them what they need,” Ho said.

Former undersecretary for management at DHS Chris Cummiskey commended the effort, saying the new “holistic” approach to interacting with the tech sector should improve cooperation. “That’s always been kind of an issue, making sure that all of the outreach coming out of DHS is coordinated in a way that actually gets you to move the needle.”

The Department is no planning on limiting itself to California, says Phyllis Schneck, DHS deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications. “We want to make sure we are not just focused on California … That was a good place to start; it offers us a plethora of companies.”