Shortly after her induction into the 2024 class of Cyber Defenders, we were delighted to grab 20 minutes with Megan Kane, Risk Management Branch Chief at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services component, for a talk about the critical importance of risk management along with the hot-button challenges of supply chain risk management, the advent of AI in security, continuous monitoring, governance improvements, and zero trust implementation. […]

The importance of technology “observability” has been growing by “leaps and bounds” as Federal agencies continue their journeys to the cloud and strive to meet government mandates, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said on Dec. 12. […]

Because data is one of the Federal government’s most valuable assets and a major driver for critical decision-making across numerous Federal agencies, several agency chief data officers (CDOs) said this week they have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to power the goals of data analysis and readiness. […]

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component agency official pushed back this week against what he called the recent wave of negative attention being paid to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, arguing instead that responsible use of the technology is proving to be a boon for his agency. […]

More freedom to share data is vital to the success of developing AI technologies that meet the needs of Federal agencies, government officials said today. […]

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advisory board has urged the agency to leverage technology to improve customer experience (CX) – from updating security checkpoint tech at airports to publicly posting wait times for immigration applications. On Dec. 6, DHS’ Customer Experience and Service Delivery Subcommittee delivered a final report to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas highlighting […]

Federal cybersecurity experts explained at a Nov. 8 ATARC event that the road to zero trust security is a long and often bumpy journey that their agencies at still learning to navigate, despite some being in the game for several years now. […]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) saved $26 million last year by automating their alert and response to threats against the agency’s data that is secured in the cloud, according to the USCIS chief information security officer (CISO). […]

Brillient Corp. announced this week that it won a $310.6 million contract to support the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) National Benefits Center (NBC). […]

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has gone in just a few short years from a few scattered pilot projects to an essential tool deployed by dozens of agencies. In the process, Federal agency IT leaders have found that automation at scale comes with challenges, and they shared some of their best practices for and lessons learned for integrating RPA into existing systems at an FCW virtual workshop on October 26. […]

Rob Brown, chief technology officer (CTO) at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), today discussed the importance of data quality checks as well as what steps USCIS is taking to accelerate its digital modernization. […]

A group of five senators has sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging the agency not to follow through with a plan to expand its collection of biometric information. […]

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. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is working to re-open agency offices in accordance with Phase 1 of the White House’s Opening Up America Again plan, although office re-opening schedules are expected to vary based on a number of factors. […]

As the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues working toward a paperless future, the agency has already completed online filing systems for several documents and, and is touting successes with its online account system. […]

With the upcoming release of the Federal Data Strategy’s final action plan on the horizon, Federal chief data officers (CDOs) agreed on Sept. 25 that the strategy holds plenty of promising features to advance their work, including an official CDO council that will help them share ideas and experiences. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is progressing with its cloud strategy, and the agency’s components are leading the way in cloud migration, DHS Cloud Action Officer Kshemendra Paul said at FCW’s Smart Cloud, Smart Government workshop today. […]

Risk management in the modern age is largely about cyber hygiene, said Wanda Jones-Heath, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the U.S. Air Force’s Office of the Deputy CIO, today. […]

It’s not often that anyone aspires to “go slow” to reach their goals, but for Shane Barney, Acting Chief Information Security Officer for the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, it’s part of the plan. […]

Mark Schwartz is stepping down from his post as chief information officer of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. […]