McNevin is state's high-tech watchdog.

• Author: Schwab, Robert
• Position: Hightech Coloradobiz

VALERIE MCNEVIN, AN EXPERT IN TECHNOLOGY and financial systems, was quietly appointed chief information security officer and privacy officer for the State of Colorado last spring.

That means, through the state's Office of Innovation and Technology, McNevin acts as the state's watchdog and manager of Colorado's high-technology infrastructure.

She keeps an eye and an ear on how agencies from the Colorado State Patrol to school districts throughout the state use computer and information technology and how they protect it from being abused.

ColoradoBiz sat down with McNevin in December with w3w3 Talk Radio's Larry and Pat Nelson to gauge the state's cyber-security readiness. Here's an abbreviated and edited version of the interview:

w3w3: Let's start with an update on the state of privacy and security in Colorado. How is our state doing?

McNevin: Well, as you know, we are experiencing a significant revenue shortfall. Colorado is very lucky to have NorthCom (U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base) in Colorado Springs, which enables us perhaps to do a few things that other states won't be able to do or to do as quickly. For one, we have a pilot project going on with NorthCom that is going to help us train a number of government personnel in security. (And) we will most likely have a regional Homeland Security Office here in Denver, although that's not for sure yet.

ColoradoBiz: If we do get a regional Homeland Security Office, will that mean new jobs for Colorado?

McNevin: That, of course, is the big question. What are we going to do with the 170,000 proposed employees for Homeland Security? Certainly some people will continue to hold positions as their agencies are transferred over, and then there will be new skill sets that are needed, and so people will be hired. Will there be jobs here in Colorado? I would suspect there will be some jobs, yes, but I don't know how many.

ColoradoBiz: you've said a billion dollars has been appropriated nationally for cyber security. What would that money be spent on?

McNevin: That will be used for pilot projects. When you have an incident, (like someone hacking into a computer), maybe it takes down a portion of the power grid. The first thing you have to determine is whether you are going to contain that, or whether you are going not to contain it, but try to investigate it further down the line to see what's happening.

Now, it may be something where we may want to call on the National Guard to assist...