Fortinet has announced the creation of its new Public Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), which the company says is expanding its commitment to securing public sector organizations worldwide.
Fortinet says the public sector is an important part of the collective ability of all organizations to enable digital acceleration in government and society and to develop sound government policies that will allow progress in cybersecurity and digital services.
It says that in recent years cybercriminals and nation-states have ramped up their attacks, in volume and sophistication, against all types of government organizations and critical infrastructure.
Fortinet says ransomware and other cyber threats are top-of-mind for organizations ranging from local governments and public health facilities to rural elementary schools and utility cooperatives.
The idea behind the Fortinet PSAC is for members to help guide and advise on how best to drive public sector organizations through evolving security challenges and technology needs to meet these challenges.
Fortinet CEO, Founder, and Chairman of the Board Ken Xie say that cyber attackers continue to threaten digital economies and critical infrastructure worldwide; organizations must be prepared to defend against the growing cyber threat.
“Fortinet has long been committed to partnership and collective understanding that enables smart policy and collaboration efforts in response to the changing threat landscape,” he says.
“As a trusted partner to the public sector and private industry, establishing the Advisory Council furthers these efforts in the United States and worldwide.”
President – Gary Locke
Locke was a former US Ambassador to China, US Secretary of Commerce, and Governor of Washington.
Fortinet says Locke’s innovations in government efficiency, customer focus, priority-based budgeting, and successful and under-budget management of risky initiatives have won him acclaim from nationally recognized authors and organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mr. Locke is currently the interim president of Bellevue College, the third largest institution of higher education in Washington State, serves on its two boards of directors, and is president of Locke Global Strategies.
Rachelle Chong
Rachelle Chong is a nationally recognized California regulatory attorney and technology strategist representing innovative clients for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Fortinet says Chong has also been a legal partner at two international law firms (Graham & James and Coudert Brothers), general counsel to two start-ups, Broadband Office and Sidecar, vice president of government affairs for a national cable company, special counsel to the California Emerging Technology Fund and senior policy advisor to the California Technology Agency (the state’s CIO office).
She founded her solo law and lobbying practice in 2013 and is CEO of R36 Solutions, LLC, a national strategic consulting firm. Fortinet says Ms. Chong is an experienced corporate executive and advisory board member, currently a member of the advisory board of the Electric Power Research Institute, Anterix, Prologis, and the T-Mobile External Diversity and Inclusion Council.
General Clapper
America. The Honorable James R. Clapper was, until January 2017, the fourth and longest-serving US director of national intelligence. In this position, Mr. Clapper led the United States intelligence community and was the chief intelligence adviser to the President of the United States of America.
Mr. Clapper has also served as the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) director and has transformed it into the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). He has also served as an adviser and advisor to Congress and the Departments of Defense and Energy. He is also a member of several government panels, boards of directors, committees, and advisory groups.
Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings most recently served as the Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI – Australia’s leading national security think tank). He has held senior positions in the Australian Public Service for Defense and National Security, previously serving as Deputy Secretary for Strategy in the Ministry of Defense (2009-12), Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (1996-1998), and Senior Advisor on Strategic Policy to the Prime Minister (2002-03).
General Sir Richard Shirreff
General Sir Richard Shirreff began a 37-year career with the British Army, commanding soldiers in operations at all levels. This included fighting in the Gulf War as a tank squadron leader and again as a divisional commander in Iraq.
In February 2016, Sir Richard Shirreff co-founded Strategia Worldwide Ltd, a global risk advisory firm serving clients in various industry sectors. It was recently acquired by Sigma7 Global Risk Outcomes, of which he is also executive vice president.
Suzanne Spaulding
Suzanne Spaulding is a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. She is also a senior adviser on homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Previously, Ms. Spaulding was the Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She headed the National Protection and Programs Directorate, which has become the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Fortinet says Ms. Spaulding has served in the executive branch in Republican and Democratic administrations and on both sides of the aisle in Congress. She was a general counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Minority Staff Director of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She also spent six years with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an assistant general counsel and legal counsel to the director’s non-proliferation center.
