(From the FT.com) Barack Obama, US president, on Tuesday picked a White House cyber-security coordinator to bring greater focus to the defense against internet attacks, ending a protracted search that has raised questions in some quarters about the potential effectiveness of the role.

The appointment of Howard Schmidt, an internet security veteran with experience in both industry and government, was greeted with relief among security experts, where the move was seen as a welcome outcome after a seven-month delay in filling the role.

However, the lack of direct authority for the White House position and potential difficulty of squaring public and business interests have left doubts about what the White House official will be able to achieve.

Read more here: Obama chooses cyber-security chief