The report, "Public-Sector Information Security: A Call to Action for Public-Sector CIOs," was funded by the Arlington, Va.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government and builds upon lessons learned during a conference on emerging cyberthreats attended by state officials in November.

"Government leaders must set aside the federated cultures that foster agency autonomy and 'my turf' thinking," wrote Don Heiman, the author of the report and the former CIO of the state of Kansas. "More than anything else, this report is a call to action, written with a sense of urgency and dedicated to the victims and families of the September 11th attacks on America."

The report specifically outlines 10 recommendations for state government officials that the NASCIO and experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers said lay the foundation for state governments to begin organizing and planning for a future nationwide information-sharing network for first-responders and cybersecurity officials.

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