Federal CIO Kent Announces Cyber Reskilling Academy
Federal CIO Suzette Kent this morning announced creation of the Federal Cyber Reskilling Academy–a joint effort of the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education, and the Federal CIO Council Workforce Committee–to kickstart the Federal government’s efforts to address gaps in the Federal cybersecurity workforce and help retrain Federal employees. […]
Feds Reach IT Modernization Tipping Point
A new report from MeriTalk and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) finds that Federal finance, IT, and procurement experts believe we’ve reached an IT modernization tipping point. […]
DHS Launches ICT Sector Supply Chain Risk Task Force
The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 30 announced launch of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, which the agency said is charged with developing “consensus recommendations” to identify and manage risk to the global ICT supply chain. […]
DHS’ Manfra Discusses FISMA Update, Impact to CDM
Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security, said today that the new update to Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) guidance will place even more accountability on department leaders and reflects an evolution in discussions between agencies and DHS. […]
Feds: U.S. Elections Threats ‘Supercharged’ by Rise of AI
With the 2024 U.S. elections just six months away, top Federal intelligence and security officials warned lawmakers that America’s foreign adversaries will again seek to influence the upcoming elections by harnessing the latest innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. […]
New Bill Eyes Chopping Block for VA EHRM Absent Improvements
Top lawmakers on the House and Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs introduced new legislation this week that aims to put an end to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) current Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program within two years unless improvements are made. […]
TMF Makes First-Ever GenAI Award to Boost State Department Diplomacy
The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) announced its latest round of awards today, which includes $18.2 million for the State Department to leverage generative AI technology to streamline data processing. […]
Senate Panel Advances IT Procurement, Telework Bills
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday to approve two tech-related bills: the Federal Improvement in Technology (FIT) Procurement Act and the Telework Reform Act. […]
DISA Taps Sharon Woods to Lead J6 Directorate
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has appointed Sharon Woods to lead the J6 Endpoint Services and Global Service Center, according to a announcement on LinkedIn. […]
Senate Rules Panel Passes 3 AI Bills Aimed at Protecting Elections
The Senate Rules Committee passed three bills today aimed at protecting the nation’s upcoming Federal elections from artificial intelligence’s possible negative impact – including through deepfakes of candidates. […]
Senate Working Group’s AI Policy Roadmap Calls for $32B Funding Boost
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led a bipartisan group of lawmakers today in unveiling a long-awaited roadmap for AI policy in the Senate. […]
VA OIT Team Says FY2025 Budget is ‘Challenging,’ Defends SSR
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Kurt DelBene told lawmakers on Tuesday that the VA’s Office of Information and Technology (OIT) budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is a “challenging” one with many significant cuts, but defended its funding increase to support the VA’s Special Salary Rate (SSR). […]
NARA Gives Feds Instructions on UFO Records Classification
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is giving Federal agencies instructions on how to review, identify, and organize records in their custody relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) – or UFOs as they are more commonly known. […]
Carnahan: GSA Working to Improve Partnership with Industry
The head of the General Services Administration (GSA) said at the agency’s Federal Digital Experience Summit on Tuesday that GSA is working hard on numerous initiatives to improve digital services across the Federal government, and to become “better partners” to companies that do business with the government. […]
With 80 percent of every Federal IT dollar spent on life support for legacy systems, the Federal IT community is exploring new options to modernize and innovate – virtualization, cloud computing, Flash technology, software-defined options, shared services, and more. MeriTalk is staying close to the leaders on the front lines, bringing you new ideas and lessons learned.
And, as Federal IT leaders work to meet demands of an “always-on” highly mobile government, we bring you the stories and breaking news on balancing productivity with security. Our government IT news includes how agencies manage advanced persistent threats, and the steps that help guard against socially engineered threats. We look at the latest trends in malware, spyware, ransomware, and spear phishing. And – how can Federal agencies protect data from tomorrow’s cyber threats?
The MeriTalk “Industry Insider” column, offers a weekly news roundup of contracts and other activity in the Federal IT industry. Check with MeriTalk daily for the government technology news you need to know, or subscribe to get the latest stories delivered directly to your inbox. You’ll stay up to date with interesting and timely Federal IT stories on cybersecurity, big data, data center modernization, cloud, mobile, and other developments in your community – from what’s next for the MGT Act to the highly anticipated Federal IT revolving capital fund, MeriTalk brings you the trends and breaking IT news to help you modernize, innovate, and transform public sector technology and the missions you support.