April 15, 2010 -- During his first year as chief information officer, Danny Harris spent a majority of his time reviewing and analyzing the Education Department's technology and it's processes.

Harris says the goal is to improve how technology can solve the agency's mission challenges and make the application of technology more efficient.

But over time, Harris hopes to focus less on the day-to-day operations and more on strategy.

He already is leading Education's assessment initiative, which he says is a little unusual. "I think it's based on my experience at the department and not because of my role."

One area where Harris will always have a significant hand in is cybersecurity. He says Education plans on hiring as many as seven new employees to focus on cybersecurity, and hire a contractor to assess the current status of the agency's systems.