Last May, the Obama administration submitted to Congress its vision for addressing one of the biggest challenges to our homeland, national and economic security: safeguarding the cybernetworks and systems we depend on in our daily lives and workplaces.

From the kitchen table to the classroom, from businesses of all sizes to essential government operations, cybersecurity touches everyone. As more and more daily functions rely on digital systems, the importance of protecting our computers, mobile devices and networks increases every day.

Though the vast majority of the nation’s cyberinfrastructure is in private hands, the risks to national and economic security from the compromise or failure of these assets means their protection requires a concerted public-private partnership.

The Department of Homeland Security is playing a crucial role in enhancing cybersecurity. We are working to secure unclassified networks for all federal executive branch civilian departments and agencies in the dot-gov domain, and working with owners and operators of key infrastructure and resources to support cybersecurity preparedness through risk assessment, mitigation and incident response.

These efforts have led to significant advances. For example, we started a comprehensive program to assist in protecting the industrial control systems that help operate our power grid, manufacturing systems and other components of modern society. In recent weeks, DHS experts have analyzed the Duqu computer virus, contributing to understanding of the virus’s targets and capabilities.

We are working with thousands of security professionals and partners in the public and private sectors to promote good cybersecurity practices to identify and assess vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure.

We have established the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, as the nation’s hub for cyberesponse efforts and to maintain a common operational picture for key stakeholders.

We are also leading efforts to develop and deploy more secure Internet protocols, which protect consumers and industry Web users, while building with universities a cadre of cybersecurity professionals through competitive scholarship, fellowship and internship programs to attract top talent.

READ MORE: POLITICO