Thank you for your fair and objective coverage of the near-breach of data at Togus VA hospital. Compliments as well on using front page refer to bring it to my attention.

More topically, learning about this made me proud as a U.S. taxpayer supporting federal privacy/information security programs, and affirmed my work as an information security professional.

From my experience chartering and championing a world-class information security program at a Maine community bank ranked in the national Top 10, I know that employee awareness and caring is the most essential critical success factor within any such program.

Accidents such as disposing of non-public information in a Dumpster happen all too frequently; that’s why information security programs such as the one at Togus have incident response plans defined as a function of relative risk.

Clearly, Ryan Lilly and his team have introduced an information security culture within the Togus community that ensures they “get the right things right the first time.”

That a rank and file employee trained by the Togus information security team recognized the risk, plus knew exactly what to do in response, and that Lilly and his team had such a strong pre-planned comprehensive followup response already in their tool kit speaks volumes to their capabilities and the value-add their organization, and we taxpayers, receive each and every day from their being where they are.

Thank you, and professional compliments to Lilly, his team and the entire Togus VA community on a job well done. Lilly and his team get it; you are blessed to work with them. If thanked for the extra hours they worked on behalf of your customers, they likely will tell you they were “just doing my job.”

Brian D. Huntley

Coopers Mills