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. […]
GSA Signals Expansion of OneGov Beyond Software, Cloud
Technology vendors that provide products or services beyond software and cloud may soon find a path into the General Services Administration’s (GSA) OneGov initiative, senior agency officials said on Tuesday. […]
Civilian Agencies See AI Productivity Gains, Still Struggle With Scaling Pilots
Federal civilian CIOs and IT leaders overwhelmingly view artificial intelligence (AI) as essential to mission success, but most remain stuck in pilot mode, according to new research from MeriTalk, Dell Technologies, and NVIDIA. […]
AI and Google Workspace Redefine Federal Collaboration
As federal agencies move into the digital age, artificial intelligence is changing the way that the government collaborates, streamlines workflows, and secures sensitive data, said Jeff Brown, lead of Google’s Global Public Sector Workspace, during a recent MeriTalking podcast. […]
VA’s AI Use Ramps Up, GAO Warns of Challenges
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has dramatically ramped up its use of artificial intelligence in the past few years, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is flagging challenges the agency faces in using and managing generative AI. […]
Congress Weighs Impact of AI Data Centers on Rural Communities
Legislation introduced by a pair of bipartisan lawmakers would require the departments of Energy, Interior, and Agriculture to assess the impact of proposed artificial intelligence data centers on rural communities. […]
Podcast: AI Unleashed: Transforming Government Collaboration and Citizen Services with Google Workspace
In this episode of MeriTalking, MeriTalk’s Gail Emery sits down with Jeff Brown, Google’s Global Public Sector Workspace Lead, to discuss where modern collaboration, AI, and security intersect for the federal government. They explore how agencies can evolve their collaboration strategies, embrace AI responsibly, and align with zero trust principles – all while overcoming the […]
Washington Steps Down as USDA CIO, Berry Takes Over
Gary Washington, the longtime chief information officer (CIO) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has been reassigned to a newly created role as the department’s chief innovation officer, according to his LinkedIn. […]
GAO: SSA Lacks Data, Training to Meet IT Needs
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has spent billions on IT modernization and planning over the past five years. Still, it has failed to maintain reliable and sufficient information on its contractors necessary to fully adapt to recent White House executive orders, a federal watchdog found. […]
Sen. Warren Questions Pentagon’s Use of Musk’s ‘Grok’ AI
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is questioning the Pentagon’s decision to deploy the artificial intelligence model developed by Elon Musk, the former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, and provide the model access to sensitive government information. […]
Mission First: Reimagining Federal Citizen Services
MeriTalk recently sat down with Evan Davis, executive managing director, Maximus Federal, to discuss how agencies can anchor modernization in mission outcomes, harness data to drive performance, and build the collaborative practices necessary for long-term success. […]
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.