1.9 Preparing for the impact of change

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The many changes that the U.S. government has made during the last two years are only the beginning of the efforts that will be required to deal with terrorism. These changes also represent a permanent paradigm shift in the way the government operates.

Action Checklist Number 1 (see Table 1.1) shows the steps that IT managers should take as a result of reading Chapter 1, including determining what position their organization has taken regarding the national strategies for participating in homeland security or improving internal security measures. IT managers should assure that security-planning efforts in IT are in step with those of their organization.

Table 1.1: Action Checklist Number 1

Action Item	Status (e.g., Completed, Pending, or N/A)
Determine if the organization has taken a position on homeland security.
Evaluate how the organization's position on homeland security impacts IT.
Assess how the USA Patriot Act impacts IT support requirements.
Assess if the formation of DHS impacts IT support requirements.
Evaluate what actions the organization needs to take if the threat level is raised by the government.
Evaluate what actions the IT department needs to take if the threat level is raised by the government.

The next chapter examines some of the real-world conditions and challenges that the government faces in the implementation of the national strategies to improve homeland security.

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