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. […]
NASA, OPM Kick Off Drive for Top Technologists
NASA and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have lit the fuse on their NASA Force effort to attract top engineering and technology talent into government service to support the U.S. space program. […]
Idaho National Lab Cyber Breach Accelerates Shift to Zero Trust
A cyber intrusion discovered in 2020 pushed Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to accelerate its shift to a zero trust cybersecurity architecture and adopt cloud-delivered security services from Zscaler, the lab’s top security official said Tuesday. […]
From Shadow AI to Sanctioned AI: Enabling Federal AI Innovation With Visibility and Guardrails
MeriTalk recently sat down with Anish Patel, director of federal sales at Cloudflare, to discuss why shadow AI is often a workforce signal rather than rebellion; what an AI-ready security posture looks like across human, prompt, and agentic layers; and more. […]
CMS Turns to Zero Trust, Partners With Zscaler to Modernize Network Security
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accelerating its transition to a zero trust architecture, replacing what one agency official described as a “flat” network environment that posed a “huge security vulnerability.” […]
Cybersecurity Leaders Brace for Iran-Linked Cyber Threats
Cybersecurity leaders are on high alert following the United States’ escalating action in the Middle East and are warning that Iran-linked actors could increase cyber activity targeting vulnerable systems and critical infrastructure. […]
Trump Taps Cassady for Cyber Ambassador, O’Neill to Lead NSF
President Donald Trump sent two names to the Senate on Monday for his picks to lead the National Science Foundation (NSF) and fill the role of ambassador at large for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the State Department. […]
Army Eyes Summer for Initial Capital Deals
The U.S. Army expects to finalize some initial agreements under its new strategic capital initiative by summer 2025, focusing first on projects officials describe as more easily attainable. […]
Tech Workers Urge DOD to Reverse Anthropic’s Supply Chain Risk Designation
Several technology workers have signed an open letter urging the Department of Defense (DOD) – rebranded as the War Department by the Trump administration – to withdraw its designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security. […]
Bob Costello Exiting CISA Amid More CISA Leadership Shakeups
Bob Costello announced today that he is leaving his role at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as chief information officer (CIO) and stepping away from federal service after more than two decades in government. […]
Bipartisan Senators Revive Bill to Codify Federal AI Standards Center
A bipartisan group of senators is reigniting efforts to codify the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Center for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Standards and Innovation (CAISI) and create new standards and testbeds for the national laboratories to accelerate AI innovation. […]
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.