April 1, 2003
GW and webMethods Host Forum on Technology for Homeland
Security
The George Washington University
and webMethods, Inc., the integration software provider headquartered
in Fairfax, VA, hosted a forum discussing Homeland Security: Can
Technology Make Us Safer? March 20 at the Jack Morton Auditorium
in GWs Media and Public Affairs Building.
Sandy Berger, former national security adviser to President Clinton
and a member of the webMethods Government Advisory Board, moderated
the half-day event. Other speakers included: James Woolsey, former director
of the CIA; Mark Forman, associate director for information technology
and electronic government, Office of Management and Budget; James Gilmore,
chair, National Advisory Commission on Terrorism, and former governor
of Virginia; and Gary Hart, former senator and co-chair of the US Commission
on National Security for the 21st Century.
Getting straight to the point, Forman criticized the governments
practice of relying on outmoded thinking, describing it as putting
lipstick on a bulldog.
We cannot operate 19th- and 20th-century processes and get the
level of homeland security we need, continued Forman.
When considering the issues of entry-exit visas, Forman described a
typical error in thinking. One homeland security issue is how to determine
if schools listed by appicants for student visas are actually
real schools? A traditional approach would be to develop a database
listing all of the colleges and universities, as well trade and technical
schools.
Who do you think already has all of that information? asked
Forman. The Department of Education, the people who administer
student loans and grants.
As the leading independent provider of integration software, webMethods,
Inc. delivers a comprehensive platform for enterprise-wide integration,
including complete support for enterprise Web services. Through this
seamless flow of information, companies can reduce costs, create new
revenue opportunities, strengthen relationships with customers, substantially
increase supply chain efficiencies, and streamline internal business
processes.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu