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. […]
Army Pilot Program to Scale Domestic Drone Production
The U.S. Army plans to begin producing more than 10,000 small drones per month starting next year as part of a new pilot program dubbed SkyFoundry, senior leaders announced Tuesday during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting. […]
Army’s Kwon: Cyber Strikes Will Mark the Start of Future Wars
The next major conflict may not begin with bombs or bullets but with keystrokes and code, a senior official for the U.S. Army warned Tuesday at the Association of the United States Army annual conference. […]
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Layoffs of Federal Workers Amid Shutdown
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to lay off federal employees during the government shutdown on Wednesday evening, saying the moves appear to be a careless attempt to punish Democrats. […]
CISA Orders Agencies to Patch F5 Devices, Software by Oct. 22
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive on Wednesday in response to a “significant cyber threat” targeting federal networks through certain devices and software made by the technology company F5. […]
Feds Seize $15B in Cryptocurrency Cyber-Fraud Case
The Justice Department (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that it seized $15 billion worth of cryptocurrency and indicted the alleged orchestrator behind the cyber-enabled fraud scheme, calling it the “largest forfeiture action” in the department’s history. […]
Swalwell Presses CISA on Workforce Cuts Amid Shutdown
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., wants to know whether the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has reassigned or terminated some of its workforce amid the ongoing government shutdown. […]
Marine Corps ‘StormBreaker’ Aims to End Months-Long Cyber Approvals
Operation StormBreaker is as cool as its name sounds – that’s according to a top Marine Corps official who said the initiative accelerates software acquisition and deployment at speed while ensuring critical cyber defenses are in place. […]
Space Force Activates New SATCOM System Delta 88 Unit
The U.S. Space Force has activated a new acquisition unit tasked with advancing its efforts across narrowband, tactical, and strategic satellite communications (SATCOM) systems. […]
Army Secretary Unveils Bold Overhaul of Tech Procurement
In a fiery and unapologetic speech Monday morning at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced sweeping reforms to the service’s tech acquisition process, vowing to cut bureaucracy and adopt Silicon Valley speed. […]
Breaking the Mold: Agile, Outcome-Focused Federal Transformation
MeriTalk recently sat down with Ron Leidner, vice president, client engagement at Maximus, to discuss how a collaborative, mission-first framework that emphasizes user needs, outcome-based planning, and agile delivery helps agencies modernize smarter, faster, and with lasting impact. […]
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.