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. […]
TMF Chief Bafundo Steps Down, Laments Feds Disparagement
Larry Bafundo, who took charge of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) last year, said today he is stepping away from his role at GSA. […]
DoD Plans to Build List of “Successful Zero Trust Implementations” This Year
The Department of Defense (DoD) plans to compile a list of successful zero trust implementations this year to deepen its understanding and facilitate the wider adoption of zero trust architecture across its operations, according to a senior Pentagon official. […]
Former IRS Data Chief Krause Named Acting Commissioner
Melanie Krause, who currently serves as chief operating officer at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), has been named the tax agency’s commissioner – the title that heads the agency – on an acting basis. […]
Rep. Obernolte ‘Optimistic’ CREATE AI Act Can Clear Congress
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who co-chaired the prior Congress’s House AI Task Force, said on Wednesday that he is “really optimistic” about Congress’s ability to pass substantial AI legislation and plans to reintroduce the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with AI Act (CREATE AI Act). […]
GAO May Take White House to Court Over Funding Freeze
Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), told lawmakers this week that his agency is preparing to potentially take President Donald Trump to court over his efforts to freeze Federal funding for programs that Congress has already approved. […]
Inaugural Senate Crypto Panel Hearing Tackles Stablecoin Regulations
The inaugural hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s panel on digital assets took a stab at legislation that would regulate the crypto market while prioritizing the stability of stablecoin and consumer protection. […]
Pentagon Moves to ‘Execution Phase’ of CJADC2 Effort
The Department of Defense (DoD) has officially transitioned from the concept phase and into the execution stage of developing its meta-network of connected sensors to coordinate all the armed forces – the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) system – with technology leaders now addressing the challenges of bringing it to fruition. […]
Karen Evans Lands Executive Role at CISA
Long-time Federal government IT and cybersecurity leader Karen Evans has been named executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a CISA official confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
Trump Orders Agencies to Build ‘Cost Efficiency’ Tech, Review Contracts
President Donald Trump is ordering Federal agencies to undertake a sweeping review aimed at cutting or modifying some existing contracts, and to build new technology into their systems to record all agency payments under certain contracts, display written justifications for payments, and give agency officials ways to actively monitor payment flows. […]
OPM Tells Agencies to Weigh Revising SES Positions by March 24
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is instructing Federal agencies to consider reclassifying “career reserved” Senior Executive Service (SES) positions as “general,” giving them until March 24 to review and revise a list of SES positions. […]
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?
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