The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the annual report for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Task Force on Dec. 17 which highlights ongoing efforts of five working groups addressing challenges related to information sharing, threat analysis, qualified bidder and qualified manufacturers lists, vendor assurance, and the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Following the 11th hour exclusion of his bill to codify the Federal Risk Assessment and Management Program (FedRAMP) into law from must-pass defense legislation, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said he’s interested in giving the measure another push after the 117th Congress begins in January 2021. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic moved the zero trust network security model from a theoretical discussion in many government agencies to a priority, government and industry executives said Dec. 3 during MeriTalk’s virtual CDM Central conference. […]
Meritalk’s CDM Central Cyber Defenders conference kicked off Dec. 3 with a conversation between VMware’s Garrett Lee and Steven Hernandez, Chief Information Security Officer at the Department of Education (DoEd). […]
President Trump signed an executive order (EO) on Dec. 3 that sets forth guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for Federal civilian agencies, and a roadmap to implementing those guidelines that will out-last the current administration set to depart on January 20. […]
The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program won praise from tech-sector officials at MeriTalk’s CDM Central virtual conference on Dec. 3. for its mostly unheralded work in helping Federal agencies make quick fixes to security during this year’s coronavirus pandemic. CDM Program Manager Kevin Cox offered insights as part of MeriTalk’s CIO Crossroads program in June into how his office jumped in to help agencies in need. […]
The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program – the Federal government’s primary program to improve civilian agency cyber security – is running short on money and putting its four prime contractors on half rations until the funding situation improves. […]
The crown jewels of Federal agency network and data assets need better protection from cyber adversaries, but the jury is still out as to whether and when the government’s primary security program to protect them – the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program – will provide the kind of protections that those assets require. […]
As the continuing coronavirus pandemic puts a spotlight on the need for mission continuity, Federal agencies need to understand their customers’ journeys and smooth the path for them, Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat said today. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its Capital Planning Guidance for Fiscal Year 2022 budget planning, which mirrors past guidance in advancing the Technology Business Management (TBM) approach to budgeting for IT. […]
With network attack surfaces expanding, aggressive adversaries circling, and the Federal government more reliant than ever on the effective functioning of information technology to deliver citizen services, mitigating cyber threats and improving cyber security is a top priority. […]
Michael Rigas has become Acting Federal CIO, according to his social media presence and a Nov. 13 document that he signed in that capacity. […]
Federal officials this week discussed how they can support new approaches like zero trust and SD-WAN in an efficient and secure way by leveraging the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract along with security requirements of the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 policy. […]
A new paper from ACT-IAC – “Accelerating Agility in Government” – proposes that the Federal government adopt an “Agile First” policy so that it becomes more proactive and responsive to changes affecting the country. The new paper expands on ACT-IAC’s Agenda 2021 document released in July and entitled “Delivery Outcomes, Building Trust.” […]
Rajive Mathur is stepping down as CIO and Deputy Commissioner at the Social Security Administration (SSA) effective October 26, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk . […]
With the Federal government placing more and more emphasis on supply chain security, harmonizing various efforts to reduce confusion is an important step towards better regulation, said Grant Schneider, former Federal CISO, and now senior director of cybersecurity services at Venable. […]
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said today that the $1 billion funding increase for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) included in the slimmed down HEROES Act pandemic relief legislation is probably not big enough to spur Federal agencies to undertake widespread IT modernization, but agreed that winning approval for the huge funding increase would be a good first step. […]
The Federal CIO Council’s Federal Investment Management Community of Practice and ACT-IAC’s IT Management and Modernization Community of Interest have released an IT spending transparency maturity model in line with the Federal Data Strategy action plan and Technology Business Management (TBM) implementation. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program is aiming for big progress in Fiscal Year 2021 on upgrading agency and Federal-level dashboard infrastructure and improving the quality of data coming from agency network sensors, along with continuing to get a better handle on how agencies employ cloud infrastructure and cloud security. […]
House Democrats released an updated version of their $2.2 trillion HEROES Act COVID-19 relief legislation yesterday that retains over $1 billion in proposed new funding for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF). […]
Congratulations are in order for seven Federal agency CIOs and their senior staffs who earned well-deserved praise for improving their agencies’ grades on the latest FITARA (Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act) Scorecard issued by the House Oversight and Reform Committee. […]
The White House is expected to soon announce the appointment of Basil Parker as Federal CIO, and Camilo Sandoval as Federal CISO, knowledgeable sources told MeriTalk. […]
General Services Administration (GSA) CIO David Shive and Government Accountability Office Director of IT and Cybersecurity Kevin Walsh agreed that the FITARA scorecard is meeting its intended goals, but detailed specific improvements like the addition of a Technology Business Management (TBM) score to boost its effectiveness. […]
Rory Kinney, Services Executive at the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) Operations Center, praised the operational balance that milCloud 2.0 services can bring to Department of Defense (DoD) organizations looking to move to cloud services, and forecasted that milCloud 2.0 is in line for a FedRAMP certification upgrade early next year. […]
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) survey finds that 56 of 90 Federal agencies surveyed reported using Internet of Things (IoT) devices, while 13 reported that they are not using IoT devices and do not plan to use them for a variety of reasons, including insufficient return on investment. […]
CenturyLink said on Sept. 1 that the company has attained FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) High certification for its federal network operations centers and security operations centers. […]
Shane Barney, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component, on Sept. 1 credited increased use of data automation for improving security operation center (SOC) operations at the agency. […]
With the billion-dollar Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) investment in the HEROES Act stalled in Congress, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is saying “so far Congress, frankly, has failed” to provide agencies with the capital needed to overhaul legacy IT systems. […]
The General Services Administration’s (GSA) FedRAMP Program has made significant strides over fiscal year 2020 and its priorities remain consistent as we look toward FY2021. […]
Education Department CIO Jason Gray told Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., that the agency does not have the necessary authorities from Congress to set up a working capital fund under the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, but said if it received that authority the department would use the money exclusively to finance IT modernization projects. […]