The revelation that the Office of Personnel Management’s networks had been breached set off a chain reaction in government but also hit appropriately close to home for the agency, as well. To ensure it doesn’t suffer the same fate again, OPM appointed a new senior cyber and IT adviser.
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Clifton Triplett — a CIO with extensive private sector experience — will be taking on the new role as of Nov. 4, acting OPM Director Beth Cobert announced.
Triplett will work in conjunction with OPM CIO Donna Seymour, reporting directly to Cobert on matters of IT investments, cybersecurity and the overall architecture of the agency’s networks and systems.
“Working alongside OPM’s CIO, Triplett will support the ongoing response to the recent incidents, complete development of OPM’s plan to mitigate future incidents and recommend further improvements to best secure OPM’s IT architecture,” the agency said in a statement announcing the appointment.
He also spent seven years in the Army and almost three years at the Defense Department working on Joint Operations Planning and Execution Systems.
“I’m honored to join the dedicated team at OPM and I’m eager to immediately get to work with our interagency partners,” Triplett said. “We all have a role to play in securing our systems and protecting our information, and I’m committed to supporting these critical efforts across the federal government.”
“To help build on the federal government’s efforts to strengthen our cybersecurity posture and provide assistance to individuals impacted by the recent cyber intrusions, we must recruit and retain a variety of highly motivated and qualified individuals from this constantly evolving field,” she said.
