As Federal agencies are looking to modernize IT infrastructure and increasingly migrate to cloud environments, their respective stages of implementation are running the spectrum from just beginning the journey to having highly developed processes, a General Services Administration (GSA) official said at a FedInsider digital training event Jan. 13. […]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published an updated doctrine on Jan. 13 that details new core security vetting principles for the government to use in managing security clearances. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a new report that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) has shown key improvements in accuracy and completeness of data that it handles. […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has officially named Jeff Seaton as the agency’s permanent CIO. […]
To protect high value assets (HVAs), Federal agencies need to fully deploy the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, clearly communicate strengths and weaknesses to leadership, and ensure system owners have a stake in their CDM deployment, explained Jeff Eisensmith, former CISO at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during a MeriTalk webinar on January 12. […]
A broad economic recovery plan released late today by President-elect Joe Biden proposes a whopping $9 billion increase to the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), along with a host of other funding measures to upgrade Federal government technology and improve IT security following the Russian hack of thousands government and private sector networks that came to light last month. […]
A bill introduced in the House by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Ryan Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., on Jan. 13 aims to invalidate a controversial executive order issued by the Trump administration in October 2020 that created a new “Schedule F” classification for Federal employees in policy-making positions and makes it easier to hire and fire them. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is warning that threat actors are exploiting poor cyber hygiene to compromise cloud security environments, and in response issued its Analysis Report AR21-013A: Strengthening Security Configurations to Defend Against Attackers Targeting Cloud Services. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the establishment of the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace (TCDM) on Wednesday, which will establish trusted sources of funding for the defense industrial base (DIB) and prevent threats to national security. […]
A group of women in senior IT leadership positions at Federal agencies is calling for increased gender diversity in top government positions. […]
The Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) has issued guidance for Federal agencies to allow employees to telework and use all other “workplace flexibility” to keep employees out of downtown in the District of Columbia for the next week. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a second update on its efforts to advance Data Center and Cloud Optimization (DCCO). […]
President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees to head the departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security (DHS) are lined up for Senate committee-level confirmation hearings on Jan. 19 – one day before Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. […]
Faced with evolving technologies, increased use of hybrid cloud infrastructures, and the continuing need to provide widescale telework capabilities, all Federal agencies should be looking at migrating to zero trust security concepts, experts from two agencies said this week. […]
While the Department of Defense (DoD) has begun the process of compiling a list of acquisition programs, technologies manufacturing capabilities, and research areas critical for preserving U.S. military advantages, it still hasn’t determined how to communicate that list internally and to other agencies, according to the Government Accountability Office. […]
High-performance computing (HPC) is fueling innovation across Federal agencies. While there is a long journey ahead, one agency is leading the way and embracing this technology – the Department of Defense (DoD). HPC is critical to the mission of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane – and of the DoD as whole. […]
Ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration on Jan. 20, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Capitol Police began to install a fenced security perimeter Jan. 12 that will lead to road closures around the district well before next week. […]
President-elect Joe Biden has officially nominated Anne Neuberger as Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology on the President’s National Security Council (NSC). […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is poised to issue an agency data strategy that will help advance the mission of caring for veterans while still protecting personally identifiable information (PII) and other health data, said Kshemendra Paul, VA’s CDO, at a FedInsider event Jan. 12. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is directing Federal agencies to steer away from cost-reimbursement contracts in most situations and look first at firm fixed-price contracts, as outlined in a recent OMB memo. […]
Kevin Cox, Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program manager, said today that he could not directly address the Russian government hack of thousands of government and private sector networks that came to light in December, but emphasized the importance of network resilience to quickly recover from intrusions and breaches. […]
Reps. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, have released a new bill that aims to improve science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science (STEM) education in rural communities. […]
The White House announced the creation of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy today, taking further steps to advance the research, development, and adoption of AI across the United States. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officially designated the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a Quality Service Management Office (QSMO) to lead grant management process improvement efforts on a government-wide basis. […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) named Oki Mek, a career public servant, its first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) in Dec. 2020, according to his LinkedIn. This is a new CXO-level position that puts Mek at the head of AI strategy for the agency. […]
The Smithsonian Institute is looking for a new Head of Digital Transformation to develop and execute a digital transformation strategy for the institution. […]
While most Federal agencies hung steady with their FITARA (Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act) Scorecard grades for the final half of 2020, the inclusion of one new grading category helped to shake up overall grades – and will continue to do so for the next couple of years. […]
The National Security Agency (NSA) issued its first Cybersecurity Year In Review report, highlighting key achievements from 2020 – including encryption work for the Pentagon – and looking ahead to threats for 2021. […]
Federal government financial regulators are seeking comment on a proposed rule looking to increase accountability for banks that experience cybersecurity incidents by implementing requirements that they report incidents to their primary regulators within 36 hours of discovery. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has hired Kenneth Bible as its new CISO, a DHS management spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]