Eideard

In response to calls for increased security from enterprise clients, Apple has hired cybersecurity expert and author David Rice as its director of global security…

A “deeply respected name in IT security circles,” according to those who know him, Rice is reportedly being brought on to bolster Apple’s security and gain the trust of corporate CIOs.

Rice graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and received a master’s degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He previously worked as a Global Network Vulnerability analyst for the National Security Agency and as a Special Duty Cryptologic officer for the Navy…Rice is also the author of “Geekonomics,” a 2007 book which likens software security vulnerabilities to weakened bridges and other physical infrastructure.

Apple has ramped up its security efforts in recent years, in part to gain the trust of corporations and government agencies who have begun adopting the iPhone and iPad. As the iPhone maker has upgraded the security of iOS, it has found itself gaining ground on Research in Motion, the self-professed leader in “CIO friendliness…”

A recent partnership with Unisys is also meant to boost Apple’s security reputation. In an interview last October, a Unisys executive said the deal came about because his company had “put a lot of heavyweight engineering into securing the [iPhone], which, frankly, no one else has figured out yet.”

My experiences with government security types lead me to believe that Rice’s own top-level clearances are somewhat compromised by the fact that he went to work with geeks at Apple. That has nothing to do with the realities of security or politics. Just bureaucratic silliness.

BTW – if you’d like a look into his public brain, drop by his blog.

On a cold and windy night at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the VSS Enterprise was unveiled to the public. Attached to its mother ship, the vehicle better known as SpaceShipTwo is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft when it enters service with Virgin Galactic.

SpaceShipTwo was built by Scaled Composites under the guidance of legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan. The carbon composite spacecraft uses the same fuselage as its mother ship, VMS Eve. After a year of rigorous testing, VMS Eve completed flight testing earlier this fall. Rutan didn’t specify when flight testing for SpaceShipTwo would begin, though it is expected to start early next year.

Sub-orbital passenger flights could start as early as 2011 from Virgin Galactic’s space port in New Mexico which is currently under construction. Tickets for the early adopters are $200,000 for a training program culminating with the ride into space. Both Rutan and Virgin Galactic founder, Sir Richard Branson have repeatedly said they expect the prices to drop rapidly similar to many new technologies, including the early days of air travel.

Once flight testing is complete, production will begin on a fleet spacecraft like SpaceShipTwo in order to meet the expected demand for rides into space. Rutan and Branson have partnered in a company known simply as The Spaceship Company. The joint venture will produce both the WhiteKnightTwo mother ships and the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. Rutan says he expects that 40 to 50 spaceships will be needed in order to satisfy the market needs. Branson’s Virgin Galactic has the exclusive use of the launch system for the first 18 months of operation.

More than 300 erstwhile astronauts are waiting in line – having fronted the $200K for a seat on SpaceShipTwo.

Would I do it? In a New York minute. At my age and weight – did I mention my age? – it would probably kill me. But, the exit would be a gas!