“Our Nation’s security and economic prosperity depend on the stability and integrity of out Federal communications and information infrastructure.”  (FY 2011 Budget)

The fiscal year 2011 budget, released last Monday, shows that the Administration has not forgotten privacy and security are the keys to the stability and integrity of the information technology infrastructure in this country. Section 19 of the FY 2011 Federal Budget outlines the Administrations plans and goals related to information technology for the upcoming fiscal year.

For FY 2011 federal spending on information technology will increase slightly to $79.4 billion. The increase shows the Administration’s desire to use IT to strengthen our government infrastructure. Information technology will make the government more efficient, cost- effective, and secure.

While the amount of money is important, the programs and initiatives the money will be funding are critical. The budget identifies privacy for electronic health records and the personal information stored within them as a top priority. This is a huge step in the right direction in the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). With sufficient privacy and security controls, EHRs can be adopted for patients and ensure personal heath information will be kept private. The Secure ID Coalition is an active participate in the discussion on how to include adequate privacy protections for EHRs to ensure only those that are authorized can gain access.

The budget also discusses identity management for the Federal government in a broader sense by addressing various levels of identity management necessary in all computing, especially when dealing with our national infrastructure. The Secure ID Coalition is encouraged to see the Federal budget with such strong language on identity management, especially electronic health records. The Coalition is pleased to see the appropriate levels of authentication across the government become a priority.