In the wake of President Barack Obama's cybersecurity executiveorder, accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLPhas provided the below timeline for the adoption of the plan'svarious elements.

The order addresses cyber risks to industries seen as criticalto U.S. infrastructure. “The cyber threat to criticalinfrastructure continues to grow and represents one of the mostserious national security challenges we must confront,” says theorder. “The national and economic security of the United Statesdepends on the reliable functioning of the Nation's criticalinfrastructure in the face of such threats.”

It calls for an inter-agency process to facilitate coordinationand guidance of policies designed to “increase the volume,timeliness, and quality of cyber-threat information shared withU.S. private-sector entities so that these entities may betterprotect and defend themselves against cyber threats.”

Specifically, the order says that, within 120 days, the attorneygeneral, the secretary of Homeland Security, and the director ofNational Intelligence must each issue instructions to produce“unclassified reports of cyber threats to the U.S. homeland thatidentify a specific targeted entity.”

It also calls for a voluntary information-sharing programbetween the government and eligible “critical-infrastructurecompanies or commercial-service providers that offer securityservices to critical infrastructure.”

In its summary, Baker Tilly says, “Participation in the programis voluntary, but the entity must be identified as an eligiblecandidate to participate.”

The firm adds, “Eligibility will be determined with the help ofsector-specific and other relevant agencies to provide the[Secretary of Homeland Security] with the information needed toidentify agencies that maintain or offer commercial-securityservices to critical infrastructure.