A broad range of experts in FedRAMP, Cloud, and IT Modernization will gather at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on June 7 to discuss the future of cloud acquisition in the Federal government. MeriTalk’s “The Modernization Movement: Cloud for Next-Gen Government” event will take an in-depth look at the trajectory of Federal cloud acquisition and what it means for government and industry. […]
The deadline for Federal contractors to complete insider threat training programs under a Department of Defense rule change arrives on May 31, and Bay Dynamics Federal Systems Engineer Thomas Jones calls the mandate an “excellent first step” in improving protections against insider threats. […]
With growing data, shrinking budgets, and a goal to close 52% of all data centers by 2018, Feds are turning to cloud, “as-a-Service,” and OpEx vs. CapEx dollars. Agencies can “buy what they use” vs. “buy what they forecast,” improving cost control, asset management, and capacity planning across the enterprise. […]
A group of prominent technology companies wrote a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asking Congress to reform the National Security Agency’s surveillance powers. The technology companies include Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Google, and Microsoft. […]
The WannaCry ransomware virus code could be used in future attacks with nation-state motivations, a Symantec expert said, even though WannaCry was likely not state-sponsored. […]
A phishing attack in January 2016 gave hackers illegal access to the Department of Interior network through remote logins on at least eight Gmail accounts, according to a report released May 24 by the Office of the Investigator General at DOI. […]
One of the biggest problems in the Federal acquisitions process is the time it takes to process and grant a contract, according to government officials. […]
A bipartisan group of senators proposed a bill that would require the National Security Agency to notify a board of experts whenever the agency finds security flaws in a company’s networks. […]
Recent government initiatives and executive orders have left Avi Bender, director of the National Technical Information Service, and Michael Whitaker, vice president of emerging solutions at ICF, optimistic about the future of Federal innovation and partnership with the private sector. […]
A horse named Cloud Computing won the Preakness Stakes on May 20, covering the mile and three-sixteenths race course in 1 minute, 55.98 seconds. The race brought an unexpected awareness to the IT solution. […]
Twenty-three out of the 24 agencies mandated to follow the Data Center Optimization Initiative reported $3.3 billion less in planned cost savings compared to the $4 billion reported in November 2015, according to a GAO report released May 18. […]
Cloud identity management provider Okta has received FedRAMP certification with Department of Justice sponsorship, meeting compliance requirements of more than 300 controls. […]
Federal agencies need to update their systems in order to avoid future ransomware and malware attacks, according to Rob Joyce, White House cybersecurity coordinator. […]
Adobe wants citizens to love their government through better customer experience and security, according to John Landwehr, Adobe’s vice president and chief technology officer for the public sector, and Karen Terrell, Adobe’s new vice president of public sector. […]
Rep. Will Hurd’s Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act passed the House of Representatives by voice vote on Wednesday. […]
In order for Federal agencies to keep up with Data Center Optimization Initiative deadlines, agencies need to step away from the spreadsheets and turn instead to a data center infrastructure management tool. Industry leaders from Schneider Electric and Nlyte said that agencies that are on track to meet the 2018 deadline are able to track data center metrics such as power usage effectiveness, server utilization, and visualization in real time. […]
A bill formally authorizing the National Computer Forensics Institute within the Department of Homeland Security to train state, local, and tribal law enforcement on how to deal with and prosecute cyber crime passed the U.S. House on May 16. […]
Due to the volume of vulnerabilities and threat alerts that cybersecurity professionals deal with every day, many are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by their jobs, according to a Bay Dynamics survey released on May 17. […]
The recent DHS mobile device study warns that Federal government mobile devices could become an avenue to attack back-end computer systems containing the data of millions of Americans and sensitive information related to Federal government functions. However, despite the various threats and vulnerabilities targeting the mobile ecosystem, Lookout’s recent white paper found many mobile users are vulnerable to a number of known threats and smartphone applications have access to capabilities that could violate corporate policies or pose significant compliance risks. […]
President Donald Trump’s executive order on cybersecurity, signed May 11, has received praise from both Congress and industry for continuing the progress of the previous administration and focusing on the issues of workforce development, IT modernization, and implementation of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. […]
No Federal systems have been affected by the WannaCry ransomware attacks that crippled thousands of computers this past weekend, according to Tom Bossert, Homeland Security adviser to the president. […]
Increased migration to and applications in the cloud make it more difficult to identify insider threats, according to 59 percent of government employees that responded to the MeriTalk Inside Job survey, underwritten by Symantec and released on May 15. […]
As adoption of cloud services increases across Federal agencies, it is logical to assume that cloud spending will increase as well. However, a new report from IDC Insights indicates a decrease in cloud spending in fiscal year 2017. […]
Daniel Coats, director of National Intelligence, issued a report to Congress that confirmed that senior Russian officials were involved in influencing the 2016 presidential election. […]
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on cybersecurity, which mandates actions to protect the cybersecurity of Federal networks and critical infrastructure. […]
Federal agencies with technology problems have one man to go to–Reed Cordish, special assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives. […]
Missouri National Guard Capt. Kevin Keeney called for Congress to write legislation funding a new uniformed service called U.S. Cyber and to consolidate all cyber personnel, equipment, and missions under it. […]
In order to get government agencies to embrace emerging technologies, the Federal government must perfect digital transformation, said Greg Godbout at CSRA’s Emerging Technologies Day. CSRA hosted eight companies that want to try their products in the Federal government sphere. […]
The U.S. government workforce is not prepared to deal with the kind of information warfare that Russia used to influence the 2016 presidential election and has continued to use in the elections of other nations, U.S. Cyber Command and NSA Chief Admiral Michael Rogers told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. […]
After Russia’s success hacking the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the nation is likely to continue its cyberattacks toward congressional IT systems, according to testimony by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Monday. […]