Federal Agencies Challenging the Status Quo in Telework Nov 18, 2020 | 3:21 pm Now that much of the Federal government workforce has eight months of pandemic-driven telework under its belt, government officials are examining how that experience has changed the future landscape of providing service to citizens, and how to incorporate lessons learned for what may be the longer haul of remote work. […]
CISA Official: Watch for More TIC 3.0 Telework Guidance By Year-End Nov 18, 2020 | 3:15 pm Sean Connelly, who heads the TIC Program Office at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said today that his office is aiming to release a remote-user use case for the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 security initiative that will build on interim TIC guidance the agency issued earlier this year to help Federal agencies migrate quickly to large-scale telework. […]
DoD Working on ‘More Enduring’ Telework Solution, Sherman Says Oct 29, 2020 | 3:05 pm The Department of Defense (DoD) is working on a “more enduring” version of the Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR) environment technology that it ramped up earlier this year to support telework for more than one million DoD personnel during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a senior Pentagon technology official. […]
Open Source Gives Agencies Long-Term Cloud Flexibility That Powers Cloud-based Telework Oct 23, 2020 | 10:03 am After a decade-long initiative to expand telework, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the federal government’s workforce to cloud-based telework, practically overnight. While improving workforce flexibility seems like the obvious benefit, federal agencies can also take this opportunity to leverage the extensive ecosystem of open source partners and applications to boost their multicloud modernization efforts. Agencies that work […]
Survey: Most Fed IT Decisionmakers Expect Continued Telework Post-COVID Oct 20, 2020 | 2:37 pm A new survey finds that 82 percent of Federal IT decisionmakers expect the majority of the work week to consist of telework even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The survey also finds decisionmakers still face challenges in managing systems and cybersecurity. […]
TIC 3.0 PM Touts Better Security Flexibility, Eyes More Use Cases Oct 15, 2020 | 1:57 pm The head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) TIC Program Office emphasized that the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 initiative aims to create more flexible and efficient ways for Federal agencies to improve security, and said his office is considering a wide range of additional use cases to help agencies implement the framework. […]
The Art of Cyber War: New Lessons From Old Teachings Oct 14, 2020 | 1:23 pm Communication, collaboration, and coordination are being touted as the keys to success for teleworking during the coronavirus pandemic, but the best frameworks for cyber defense in these modern times may end up coming from old teachings. […]
DOT CIO Says Office Landscape ‘Changed Forever’ as Tech Enables Remote Work Oct 8, 2020 | 3:54 pm Looking ahead to a post-pandemic future, Department of Transportation (DoT) CIO Ryan Cote said at MeriTalk’s October 7 CIO Crossroads webinar that the workplace structure will be forever changed as organizations and Federal agencies realize the value of technology implemented throughout the mass shift to remote work. […]
DHS CIO Says Telework Needs to be Sustainable Oct 8, 2020 | 3:50 pm Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CIO Karen Evans said today she needs to make sure that the agency’s ability to conduct large-scale telework remains sustained as uncertainty continues over future developments with the coronavirus pandemic. […]
CISA Reveals Simple Tips to Keep Telework Secure Oct 5, 2020 | 10:37 am The increased shift to telework seems like it is here to stay as employers work to slow the spread of COVID-19 several months into the pandemic, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released new telework tips for leaders, IT professionals, and teleworkers to keep the remote environment secure. […]
Prior IT Investments Helping State Department’s Current Telework Success Sep 30, 2020 | 12:31 pm The three biggest linchpins for the Department of State’s successful implementation of telework across the enterprise each involve longer-term IT investments that the agency was able to make prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and each of those investments has paid big dividends in agency performance since March. […]
Most Capital Region Employers Plan Return to Offices in Summer 2021 Sep 22, 2020 | 9:15 am A new report from the Greater Washington Partnership revealed that employers in the National Capital Region that responded to their survey plan to have 72 percent of their employees return to the office by summer 2021, but a third of those respondents are still unsure of their reopening plans that far in advance. […]
Most Big Federal Agencies Will Have IG Oversight Of Reopening Plans, Rep. Connolly Says Sep 9, 2020 | 4:07 pm A majority of the largest Federal agencies will have their inspector general (IG) offices involved in monitoring how agencies plan for and proceed with office reopening plans amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said today. […]
DoD CIO Deasy Sees Growing Emphasis on Data, Sustaining Telework Sep 9, 2020 | 1:28 pm Looking ahead to future IT modernization projects at the Defense Department (DoD), CIO Dana Deasy is predicting a bigger emphasis on data and sustaining telework capabilities in the long term. […]
DoE CIO Says IT Basics Sustaining Long-Term Telework Reliance Sep 9, 2020 | 9:58 am Investments in “basic” IT modernization initiatives, such as improving bandwidth and updating laptops, were the backbone behind telework success at the Department of Energy (DOE) as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, CIO Rocky Campione said at the September 3 Lessons from DOE: Foresight and Focus Keep the Grid Humming webinar. […]
Fed IT Leaders Planning for Future Tech Workforce Sep 3, 2020 | 11:02 am The telework landscape has changed what the future of the Federal workforce could look like, pushing Fed IT leaders to prioritize new hiring initiatives and embrace the benefits of working from home. […]
Shift to Telework: Enabling Secure Cloud Adoption for Long-Term Resiliency Sep 2, 2020 | 4:03 pm Over the past few months, agencies have strengthened remote work tools, increased capacity, improved performance, and upgraded security to enable continuity of operations as employees work from home and in various new locations. […]
GSA Pondering Longer-Term Impacts of Telework on Building Facilities Aug 27, 2020 | 3:31 pm Officials at the General Services Administration (GSA) have started internal discussions on the impact that pandemic-driven employee telework may have on longer-term uses of government office buildings and other facilities, said Beth Anne Killoran, GSA’s Deputy CIO, at an August 26 event organized by Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM). […]
AFGE Survey: Most Feds Feel Unsafe, Unprepared Returning to Workplace Aug 20, 2020 | 2:03 pm A survey of 2,200 Federal workers released yesterday by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) revealed that most Feds feel unsafe returning to on-site work and believe agencies are not doing enough to protect them. […]
DHS Transitioning to Remote Posture as ‘New Operating Model,’ Deputy CIO Says Aug 17, 2020 | 3:00 pm The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is leaning into the benefits of working remotely and planning tech advancements to adapt to the new operating model as it moves forward, Deputy CIO Beth Cappello explained at MeriTalk’s Lessons from DHS: The Mission Can’t Stop webinar on August 12. […]
Marine Corps’ Mobile Ready Position, NRC’s Remote Work Drills Aided Agency Telework Adjustments Aug 13, 2020 | 3:49 pm Officials from the Marine Corps (USMC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) credited laying the mobility groundwork and hosting remote work drills, respectively, for helping the agencies prepare workers for the telework transition during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Senate Bill Seeks Max Telework for Feds Until Emergency Ends, Role for TMF Aug 11, 2020 | 5:05 pm Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have introduced legislation that would require Federal agencies to maximize telework for Federal employees for the length of the COVID-19 public health emergency. […]
COVID-19 Forces Rapid Network Modernization Aug 5, 2020 | 3:44 pm The COVID-19 pandemic has made all levels of government radically change how they operate. From shifting their workforce to telework to delivering government services digitally, Federal, state, and local governments have had to pivot the way they work, while still delivering on their mission. […]
Senators Urge Maximum Federal Telework Provisions in Relief Bill Aug 4, 2020 | 11:33 am In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., 20 Democratic senators plus Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, urged leadership to include maximum telework provisions for Federal employees and contractors in the next coronavirus relief package. […]
State Department Moves to Phase 2 of its Reopening Plan Aug 3, 2020 | 4:07 pm After moving to nearly 90 percent telework in April, the State Department has entered the second phase of its reopening plan. […]
Switching to Telework Could Save Feds Thousands Each Year, Totaling Billions in Government Spend Jul 31, 2020 | 3:36 pm Switching to telework for half of the workweek after the pandemic ends would save Federal employees up to $4,000 each year and the Federal government up to $11 billion annually, per a Global Workplace Analytics calculation discussed at the July 29 Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on remote work. […]
DoD Passed One Million Telework Mark in June Jul 27, 2020 | 3:05 pm Per new figures from the Office of the CIO, the Department of Defense (DoD) accommodated more than one million personnel on telework as of mid-June, compared to the 95,000 employees that worked remotely prior to the coronavirus pandemic. […]
Pandemic Pushes DISA to Take Zero Trust Approach to Cybersecurity Jul 23, 2020 | 1:45 pm To help secure the scattered telework environment, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has switched to a zero-trust architecture to protect its network from adversaries. […]
18F Officials Recommend Video Chats, Progress Reports for Telework Success Jul 22, 2020 | 9:18 am As the General Services Administration’s 18F stepped up to help agencies with the quick technical shift to telework, two officials from the program shared their top tips for helping the workplace culture adjust to a remote environment. […]
Army Official: Classified Intel Telework Environment Coming Soon Jul 21, 2020 | 3:41 pm A Federal network environment that supports classified telework is coming soon to agencies within the intelligence community, Jennifer Zbozny, director of the Software Engineering Center at the Army’s Communications-Electronic Command, confirmed at an event today. […]