(According to NSA's web site, the agency's customers include the White House, the CIA, the State Department, the Chairman and Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS], military combatant commanders and component commands, military departments, multinational forces, and U.S. allies, as well as those that use national security information systems, and government contractors.)

How do you reach the vast number of people who staff your customer offices?

"This was a big thing for us when we started publishing security configuration guides. We said, how on earth can we reach all of our customers? There are so many, they are so diverse; all the government all the military, and we eventually decided that the only way we could reach all of our customers was to simply publish it to the public. It's on our web site today. You'll see all these security guides and fact sheets because that is the best way to ensure (1) that we reach all of our customers and (2) that the taxpayers get maximum value out of the work that the NSA has done." (To view and download IA Fact Sheets, go to , select Information Assurance | Mitigation Guidance | Security Configuration Guides | Fact Sheets. )

From a security standpoint, what is it like to work at the NSA?

As you approach the security gate you must slow your car down to navigate a serpentine pattern of red-and-white caution-striped gates, orange traffic cones, a black SUV security vehicle, a freestanding guard, in order to reach a security gate where you present identification. In this approach a sign indicates FPCON BRAVO (Force Protection Condition, level Bravo), indicating "an increased or more predictable threat of terrorist activity exists". Watching from the other side of the gate are well-prepared guards.