Dr. Tiina K.O. Rodrigue, EdD - she/her

In their attempts to create a comprehensive cybersecurity posture, chief information security officers (CISOs) can only be as effective as the resources they garner. In the federal context, budgets and spends are ultimately under the auspices of the agency heads who set priorities and direction. This study sought to gain insight on the impact of organizational power and politics in the cybersecurity post-budgetary process within U.S. federal government agencies through a comparative examination… Show more

In their attempts to create a comprehensive cybersecurity posture, chief information security officers (CISOs) can only be as effective as the resources they garner. In the federal context, budgets and spends are ultimately under the auspices of the agency heads who set priorities and direction. This study sought to gain insight on the impact of organizational power and politics in the cybersecurity post-budgetary process within U.S. federal government agencies through a comparative examination of budgeted versus actual spending. It addressed one research question: To what extent do power and politics impact the federal cybersecurity budgetary cash windfall allocation and the resultant organizational cybersecurity posture?

The literature of organizational power and politics establishes means to measure the impact of individual and group power on budgets, funding, allocations, expenditures, and gamesmanship. Applied in the federal cybersecurity arena, the impact of power and politics on budgets and spend can be measured to better understand and mitigate risk factors in cybersecurity posture. A quantitative cross-sectional causal-comparative approach with a CISO survey was leveraged to study the topic ex post facto. The study utilized three phases of data collection from publicly available sources and primary data collection, as well as five phases of data analysis covering 2009 to 2016, to examine civilian cabinet-level agencies across the executive branch of the federal government.

Findings showed that most agencies were budgeting cybersecurity in a comprehensive fashion. However, actual expenditures were significantly reduced from budgetary allocations and remained focused on the area of technology, leaving the people, process, and policy aspects of cybersecurity posture at times unfunded. Further, the results showed that the agency head and CISO had little to no power or political connectedness and there were intractable barriers against improving the dyad. Show less

Cyber Crime Risk Management

Presentation

Tiina K.O. Rodrigue presented her proposed doctoral study - The Power and Politics of Cybersecurity Budgets: A Quantitative Study of Federal Windfall Allocation as a Measure of the Impact of Influence on Comprehensive Security Posture.

Presentation to the FRB, FDIC and OCC examiners regarding cyber-risk management.

Panelist - The panelists explored whether our current development models are sufficiently multi-dimensional to ensure cyber security professionals are adequately versed in ethics, law, policy and leadership. Against a cyber backdrop, the panel discussed the skillsets that matter in any successful professional's career: collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. As leaders and practitioners, the panelists shared ideas, educational models and programs that… Show more

Panelist - The panelists explored whether our current development models are sufficiently multi-dimensional to ensure cyber security professionals are adequately versed in ethics, law, policy and leadership. Against a cyber backdrop, the panel discussed the skillsets that matter in any successful professional's career: collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. As leaders and practitioners, the panelists shared ideas, educational models and programs that may enhance the success of well-rounded STEM professionals. Show less

Mr. Bradbury quoted me in his article in the June 2014 Education Spotlight.

Contributor

Describes the tremendous opportunities available via the adoption of advanced technologies, specifically around security, voice over IP, storage and other innovative approaches to reduce total cost of ownership and engage new functionality that would increase productivity while lowering cost.

Co-authored with three other colleagues, Mars is Ours: Strategies for a Manned Mission to Mars (AAS 87-228), won a national contest for designing a manned mission to Mars. Part of the prize was presenting the design to the Case for Mars III conference, which included Carl Sagan, Buzz Aldrin, Thomas Paine and Jesco Von Puttkamer.

Contributor

edited by Susan Swayze and Valerie Ford

In information technology security as scored by management budget, the author examines information technology (IT) security in the context of organizational management, business, complexity leadership theories, and current IT security scholarship. Based on well-known organizational power and politics theory as well as accounting, budget, and management literature, the chapter examines what is known about the impact of power and politics on IT… Show more

edited by Susan Swayze and Valerie Ford

In information technology security as scored by management budget, the author examines information technology (IT) security in the context of organizational management, business, complexity leadership theories, and current IT security scholarship. Based on well-known organizational power and politics theory as well as accounting, budget, and management literature, the chapter examines what is known about the impact of power and politics on IT security and the importance of budgetary gamesmanship as illustrated by understanding that the budget as a game, the politics of allocation within an organization, the influence of budgetary bias and how it shapes what CISOs must understand and master, the unfunded mandate impediment through which each the organization picks winners and losers under the auspices of "doing more with less." The author suggests a future framework for IT security-management-budget review that includes measures the track expenditure versus the power alignment and how to gauge the net effect on an organization's information-technology security posture. Show less