Federal CIO Kent Announces Cyber Reskilling Academy
Federal CIO Suzette Kent this morning announced creation of the Federal Cyber Reskilling Academy–a joint effort of the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education, and the Federal CIO Council Workforce Committee–to kickstart the Federal government’s efforts to address gaps in the Federal cybersecurity workforce and help retrain Federal employees. […]
Feds Reach IT Modernization Tipping Point
A new report from MeriTalk and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) finds that Federal finance, IT, and procurement experts believe we’ve reached an IT modernization tipping point. […]
DHS Launches ICT Sector Supply Chain Risk Task Force
The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 30 announced launch of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, which the agency said is charged with developing “consensus recommendations” to identify and manage risk to the global ICT supply chain. […]
DHS’ Manfra Discusses FISMA Update, Impact to CDM
Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security, said today that the new update to Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) guidance will place even more accountability on department leaders and reflects an evolution in discussions between agencies and DHS. […]
NIST Creating $285M CHIPS ‘Digital Twins’ Manufacturing Institute
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is creating a new CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute that will use digital twins approaches to greatly speed the development and validation of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes. […]
OSTP, SOA Set New Commitments for Equitable STEMM Expansion
The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on May 1 announced new private sector commitments to improve equity in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) ecosystem as part of a STEMM Equity and Excellence 2050 plan unveiled by the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA). […]
NSF, DoE Award 35 Projects First-Round Access to NAIRR Pilot
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the Department of Energy (DoE), today awarded 35 projects first-round access to the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, which is a shared national infrastructure to support the AI research community. […]
MeriTalk Research: Feds Eye Better Data Infrastructure to Meet Data Deluge
Federal government technology leaders are leaning hard into upgrading their data infrastructure to create value from fast-growing data flows that are proving too much to handle for their older systems, new research from MeriTalk and Hitachi Vantara Federal finds. […]
Rep. Bost: Change Healthcare Still Silent on Hacked Vets’ Data
UnitedHealth Group has yet to inform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) which veterans were impacted by the February ransomware attack on the company’s Change Healthcare unit, according to the top lawmaker on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. […]
Tonya Wilkerson Nominated for DoD Intelligence/Security Chief
President Biden has nominated Tonya P. Wilkerson to serve as the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security, the White House announced on May 2. […]
DoD Prioritizes AI, Space Tech, Sensing/Cyber in S&T Funding Plans
The Pentagon is requesting $17.2 billion to fund science and technology (S&T) projects in fiscal year (FY) 2025, with most of that money designated for artificial intelligence (AI), space technology projects, and integrated sensing and cyber efforts, according to the Defense Department’s (DoD) technology chief. […]
DoT CIO Calls Agency’s Safety, Cybersecurity Missions Inseparable
Department of Transportation (DoT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg always says that safety is the DoT’s “North Star.” According to the department’s top cyber and IT official, safety is no longer possible without cybersecurity. […]
IRS Touts Tech-Driven Gains in Strategic Plan Update
The IRS is taking claim for a range of technology-driven customer service improvements over the past year, and pointing to future improvements it hopes to achieve, in an update to its strategic operating plan published on May 2. […]
NASA Chief Blames JPL Layoffs on Budget Delays
The failure of Congress to approve a timely budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024 – and the impact of further budget restrictions expected for FY2025 – has forced NASA to make some tough choices including letting go some of its valuable human talent, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told lawmakers on April 30. […]
With 80 percent of every Federal IT dollar spent on life support for legacy systems, the Federal IT community is exploring new options to modernize and innovate – virtualization, cloud computing, Flash technology, software-defined options, shared services, and more. MeriTalk is staying close to the leaders on the front lines, bringing you new ideas and lessons learned.
And, as Federal IT leaders work to meet demands of an “always-on” highly mobile government, we bring you the stories and breaking news on balancing productivity with security. Our government IT news includes how agencies manage advanced persistent threats, and the steps that help guard against socially engineered threats. We look at the latest trends in malware, spyware, ransomware, and spear phishing. And – how can Federal agencies protect data from tomorrow’s cyber threats?
The MeriTalk “Industry Insider” column, offers a weekly news roundup of contracts and other activity in the Federal IT industry. Check with MeriTalk daily for the government technology news you need to know, or subscribe to get the latest stories delivered directly to your inbox. You’ll stay up to date with interesting and timely Federal IT stories on cybersecurity, big data, data center modernization, cloud, mobile, and other developments in your community – from what’s next for the MGT Act to the highly anticipated Federal IT revolving capital fund, MeriTalk brings you the trends and breaking IT news to help you modernize, innovate, and transform public sector technology and the missions you support.