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Subject:    [ISN] Regional info-sharing network takes hold in Oregon
From:       InfoSec News <isn () c4i ! org>
Date:       2003-03-28 7:27:42
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http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,79777,00.html

By DAN VERTON 
MARCH 27, 2003
Computerworld

A public/private partnership in Oregon focused on homeland security
information-sharing this month became one of the first grassroots
efforts to move from concept to reality -- and is already planning for
an expansion to other states.

Oregon's Regional Alliance for Information and Network Security
(RAINS), a partnership of more than 60 technology companies and
government agencies, on March 14 officially launched a secure
data-sharing network called RAINS-Net. The network is the first
by-product of an effort to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge
homeland security information technologies.

"There are a lot of groups researching recipes for homeland security,"  
said Charles Jennings, CEO of Portland, Ore.-based Swan Island
Networks Inc. and the founder and chairman of RAINS. "We decided just
to make soup."

Technologies from five Oregon-based IT companies form the backbone of
the new 25-node network, which links local 911 centers, large banks
and hospitals, Oregon's Department of Transportation, the city of
Portland's Water Bureau, the Port of Portland and the Regional
Maritime Coalition for the security of the Columbia River. Hillsboro,
Ore.-based Fortix Inc. serves as the network's data center and network
host, and the Portland 911 center disseminates emergency information,
including alerts.

Jennings said the network, built for less than $100,000, including
$55,000 in Oregon state grants and donated technologies, is still in
its embryonic stage. However, the current trial stage allows
organizations to share sensitive maps, audio and video, computer-aided
design drawings, secure e-mail and emergency alerts. The next two to
five months will be spent studying how best to integrate the network
into the business processes of the various user organizations,
Jennings said.

RAINS has already chartered a local chapter in Virginia and is in
talks with several other unnamed states about expanding the network,
said Jennings. "Our midrange goal is to acquire a federal grant to add
meat to the bones" of the network, he said. "That's going to take a
lot more money than we have as community volunteers."

Wyatt Starnes, CEO of Portland-based Tripwire Inc., said the Internet
has been underutilized as a transport mechanism for local emergency
information-sharing. "It is imperative to utilize the network to
protect the network, both from a cybersecurity perspective and from a
broader homeland security perspective," said Starnes. "While
Washington is thinking about it, Oregon can just do it. RAINS-Net is
already up and running on a test basis here, and we will likely roll
out live operating local usage within 2003."

Bob Adams, an IT manager at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Ore., said
his facility has been testing the PC-based client software. "We're
kind of isolated, so communication tools such as this are vital," he
said. "To know what some of the other entities are seeing, such as a
potential viral outbreak or heavy rains and flooding, or something
that might require us to be prepared from an emergency room
perspective, is critical."

A variety of software components allows users to view a summary of an
incident as well as detailed maps and recommended actions for area or
region-specific incidents, Adams said.

The hospital is also working on a plan to integrate the new system
into its business processes. Adams plans to deploy the client software
to users in the hospital's emergency room, infectious disease control
unit and administration.



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