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. […]
CISA Reaches ‘Tipping Point’ in Critical Infrastructure Partnerships
Nick Andersen, the new acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said the agency is reaching a “tipping point” in its relationships with critical infrastructure operators as it shifts from building partnerships to operationalizing collaboration. […]
DOE Aiming to Put More Nuclear Power on U.S. Grid
The Department of Energy (DOE) has gone public with a new effort to increase power production from U.S.-based nuclear facilities in order to meet expected electric power demand from industrial manufacturers and operators of data centers supporting artificial intelligence (AI) technology providers. […]
NIST’s CAISI Seeks Input on Barriers to AI Adoption
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) is seeking feedback from organizations in the education, healthcare, and finance sectors on barriers to adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and is hosting a series of virtual workshops to gather input. […]
Agencies Translate Cyber Strategy Pillars Into Operations
Less than two weeks after the Trump administration launched its National Cyber Strategy, intelligence and cybersecurity agencies are already taking steps to integrate its six cyber pillars into their operations. […]
Army CIO Reimagines How the Service Delivers Capabilities
Over the past year, the Department of Defense has undergone a wave of changes aimed at better meeting operational needs. For one senior leader within the U.S. Army, that mandate means adopting a “reimagination” mindset. […]
Commerce Opens Next Phase of AI Export Program, Invites Industry Proposals
The Department of Commerce’s artificial intelligence (AI) exports program has advanced to the next phase: The agency announced Monday it is now accepting industry proposals. […]
CIGIE Outlines Best Practices for Agencies to Strengthen Cloud Security
The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is urging federal agencies to tighten cloud security practices following a review of oversight reports that identified recurring security weaknesses and improvement opportunities across government cloud deployments. […]
House Bill Seeks $10M of Cybersecurity Education Integration Grants
A bipartisan pairing of House members has introduced legislation that would direct the Education Department to award up to $10 million in grants to promote the integration of cybersecurity education into career and technical education programs that benefit the U.S. critical infrastructure workforce. […]
IRS Staff Exodus Threatens “Severe Risks,” GAO Says
The departure of thousands of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) staffers over the past year has created a “major workforce challenge” that poses “severe risks” to IRS operations, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. […]
Army Awards $20B Counter-Drone Contract
The U.S. Army has awarded a $20 billion contract to Anduril Industries aimed at strengthening counter-drone capabilities across the Department of Defense (DOD), according to an announcement released Friday evening. […]
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.