Without a doubt, we live in a net-centric world. New information technologies arrive at lightning speed, allowing us to share information across town, across the country, or around the world faster than ever before. NSA's Information Assurance Directorate is dedicated to providing information assurance solutions that will keep our information systems safe from harm. Our national security depends on it.
IAD's mission involves detecting, reporting, and responding to cyber threats; making encryption codes to securely pass information between systems; and embedding IA measures directly into the emerging Global Information Grid. It includes building secure audio and video communications equipment, making tamper protection products, and providing trusted microelectronics solutions. It entails testing the security of customers' systems, providing OPSEC assistance, and evaluating commercial software and hardware against nationally set standards. To better meet our nation's IA needs, IAD teams across government, industry, and academia.