ISC², an international non-profit information security company, announced its intention to work with IT-AAC, a US government acquisitions watchdog in the IT sector, in order to optimize federal spending on technology.

Sounds a bit pork barrel… which refers derisively to a federally funded initiative or project, either by function or by design, which benefits a limited group of people as opposed to the public.

John McCain, for example, blew the pork barrel whistle on Mitt Romney for urging federal government to invest more in the Olympics. Romney himself was involved with salvaging the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, from a sticky bribery scandal.

According to IT-AAC’s charter, pork barrels take in as much as $20 billion in federal funding every year. As an organization, IT-AAC's job is to make sure that as government money funnels into information security in larger and larger amounts, it does so efficiently, and in a manner that contributes to the protection of everyone rather than an elite selection of VIP's.

Together, the organizations will devise a standard process for deciding to whom, and to where government subsidized technology funding will go. They will focus on a series of proposals, both public and private, seeking to fulfill protocols set by higher ups in federal government with regard to how such spending should work in the future.

What makes the ISC² such a vital component to this project is that they focus on technology education. They offer internationally acknowledged certifications for information security professionals. Among the most notable accreditations they offer is the CISSP.

The theory behind recruiting a company like ISC², and it seems to be a good one, is that the more that professionals know and understand about the issues at stake, the better equipped they will be when it comes identifying and eliminating inefficient and unfair spending.

An ISC representative expressed their enthusiasm about working with such a notable and successful organization as IT-AAC, as both companies share many similar agendas.