The COVID-19 pandemic forced Federal agencies to shift to majority telework in a matter of days. Over the last 12 months, agencies have had to rapidly learn how to keep their networks secure in a new work environment. […]
The Biden administration is proposing that the Federal government take a giant leap into the national broadband service market – traditionally the province of the private sector – in order to close persistent service availability and affordability gaps across the United States. […]
The Biden Administration today proposed in its $2 trillion American Jobs Plan to invest upwards of $90 billion in Federal government-directed research and development (R&D) spending in a host of technology areas including AI. […]
When it comes to modernization and innovation for Federal agencies, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) is emphasizing that software and cybersecurity are foundational to its digital modernization strategy. […]
The ongoing “Sunburst” cyber-espionage campaign that resulted in the SolarWinds Orion and Microsoft Exchange breaches represents a strategic failure by the U.S., rather than simple IT inadequacy, according to a report by the Atlantic Council. […]
Will Federal agencies’ use of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) become a feature of the FITARA Scorecard that the House Oversight and Reform Committee issues twice a year to grade agency progress on IT modernization and efficiency? […]
A group of ten tech-sector trade groups led by the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) is asking the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to make some big changes to Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) rules and policies, including those covering repayment obligations. […]
The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) said it is rolling out three new research programs aimed at energy supply chain security, protecting infrastructure from electromagnetic (EMP) interference, and cybersecurity education. […]
It’s hard enough sometimes just keeping up with the challenges of cybersecurity in the big headline-news cases – think SolarWinds in recent months or the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intrusion several years back. But the more you talk with experts in cybersecurity, the more it becomes clear that exploitable gaps in the network armor are nearly limitless, and that plugging those gaps requires innovative security in the spaces that remain off the radar for many. […]
Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat explained today that Federal IT policymakers are devoting considerable effort toward how to share and otherwise re-use across government the applications of automation technologies that Federal agencies have been developing on their own. […]
Sonny Bhagowalia recently became the new permanent CIO at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but the title change was more of a formality. Bhagowalia became acting CIO last June, and with three years in top tech leadership at the agency, he already comes equipped with a clear strategic vision for the agency’s IT and cybersecurity. […]
The Board of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) awarded $9.6 million in funding to the Department of Labor (DOL) for the agency to modernize its enterprise data infrastructure. […]
In a press release, IBM announced that it would be working with companies from the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), Electronic Design Automation (EDA) suppliers, Non-Traditional Defense Contractors (NTDC), and academic partners to develop state-of-the-art (SOTA) microelectronics for Defense Department (DoD) use. […]
As COVID-19 created unprecedented demand for remote work, one Federal agency was especially well equipped to transition to full telework in March 2020. The civilian agency had invested in robust collaboration tools and IT infrastructure, including network bandwidth upgrades in January 2020, which eased the transition and kept workers productive. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) indicated in a statement late Thursday that additional funding for Federal government technology included in the American Rescue Plan Act will help improve IT security, infrastructure, and digital experience. […]
President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act today, a day ahead of schedule due to a speedy transmission of the legislation by the House. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill forms the centerpiece of the Biden administration’s initial legislative agenda. […]
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., long a prime mover in the House for Federal IT modernization, today hailed the inclusion of $1 billion of new funding for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act approved by the House. […]
In the wake of the recent SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange hacks, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is emphasizing the need to shore up supply chain integrity, adopt a zero trust security concepts mindset, and direct more resources to best address vulnerabilities. […]
The House voted today to approve the Senate’s version of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act – and in the process release billions of new funding for Federal IT modernization and security improvements. […]
After the transmittal of the bill took longer than initially expected, the House of Representatives now plans to vote on the Senate version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act on Wednesday, March 10, according to multiple reports. The House vote had been expected on March 9. […]
The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) has hit its three-year anniversary as a prime funding vehicle for Federal IT modernization projects, and Acting Federal CIO Maria Roat is reflecting on the accomplishments of that journey in a new blog post this week. […]
President Biden signed a March 7 executive order (EO) directing Federal agencies to aid in increasing voting access. The EO directs the Federal CIO to coordinate the modernization efforts of Federal agencies’ websites and digital services that provide election and voter information. […]
The House Armed Services Committee is standing up an acquisition task force that will examine supply chain threats and vulnerabilities. […]
The House plans to vote Tuesday, March 9 on the version of the American Rescue Plan Act approved by the Senate over the weekend, setting the stage for the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill to become law with President Biden’s signature later this week. […]
The Senate voted March 6 to approve the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act after a lengthy amendment and debate process that pushed the vote into the weekend. […]
The Senate as of late Friday afternoon was continuing to debate the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which contains considerable increases in Federal government funding for agency IT modernization and security upgrades. […]
After some delay waiting for an official bill “score” from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Senate voted today to begin debate on legislation that embodies the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. […]
The Federal government’s response to the Russia-backed SolarWinds cyberhack – and the pressing need for government agencies to speed progress on putting in place cybersecurity protections including through the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program – […]
The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) would get a $1 billion funding increase in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act, according to a preliminary draft of the Senate version of the legislation obtained from sources by MeriTalk. The Senate will debate its version of the legislation this week. […]
The House version of the American Rescue Act – born from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal unveiled in January – now features a provision that would provide $2 billion for the Department of Labor (DoL) to use to help states upgrade their unemployment insurance (UI) systems. […]