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Howard Schmidt, Microsoft Corp.'s chief security officer, is expected to be appointed by President Bush as vice chairman of the newly constituted federal Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, according to a knowledgeable source.
In that role, Schmidt would work with national cybersecurity czar and board chairman Richard Clarke in overseeing protection of information systems for critical infrastructure.
The Critical Infrastructure Protection Board was established in an executive order by Bush on Oct. 16 and is charged with securing information systems in sectors such as telecommunications, energy, financial services, manufacturing, water supply, transportation, health care and emergency services.
The board is led by a chairman and vice chairman, both of whom are designated by the president.
If confirmed, Schmidt is likely to start his new job sometime in early January, the source said.
A Microsoft spokeswoman refused to comment on Schmidt's likely appointment, saying only that he continues to be Microsoft's chief security officer.
If appointed, Schmidt's presence could "lend somewhat of a higher visibility to the infrastructure protection board," said Charles Kolodgy, an analyst with International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass. "In that sense getting him would be a coup," Kolodgy said.
Schmidt's previous experience in government agencies should give him some familiarity with the inter-agency conflicts and the budgetary constraints he is likely to face in his new role. Kolodgy said. "But after being among the [top executives] of a large company and not having too many people question what you are doing, it should be interesting to see," how he readjusts to a bureaucratic environment, he said.
Before joining Microsoft, Schmidt was a supervisory special agent and director of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Computer Forensic Lab and Computer Crime and Information Warfare, according to biographical information on Microsoft's Web site. The AFOSI specializes in investigating intrusions in government and military systems by unauthorized persons in counterintelligence organizations and criminals.
Schmidt also was with the FBI's National Drug Intelligence Center, where he headed the Computer Exploitation Team as a computer forensic specialist.
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