Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy

As the severity of the coronavirus pandemic appears to wane from its peak and create opportunities for more Federal workers to return to traditional offices, the General Services Administration’s (GSA) inspector general reported on September 30 that the agency is having trouble meeting recommendations to improve air-handling systems to maximize their ability to capture airborne viruses. […]

cyber insurance
USDA Agriculture

Amid the rapid growth of the digital currency marketplace, the Treasury Department’s Financial Stability Oversight Council warned in a new report that cryptocurrencies could “pose risks” to the stability of the U.S. economy – especially in the event of lax government oversight. […]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a special notice on October 5 to explore options to transition from hardware-based ground radio processing to cloud-based software applications. […]

healthcare cyber-min
CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has selected Mona Harrington to be the assistant director for the agency’s National Risk Management Center (NRMC), a position she has been serving on a temporary basis since March. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) component is focusing its IT modernization efforts on improving cybersecurity and customer experience, the agency’s top tech official said this week. […]

identity management-min

The continuing development of digital identity concepts has the potential to help organizations improve cybersecurity and mitigate a host of security risks, officials from the Federal government and Capitol Hill said during an October 3 event hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Academy. […]

AI

Lynne Parker, who until August served as founding director of the White House’s National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIIO), said this week that she’d like to see individual Federal agencies get more involved with regulation of AI technologies in the sectors that they oversee. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is looking for public feedback on a draft report on stablecoin technologies and related security concerns in an effort to better understand the digital assets industry. […]

GSA General Services Administration

Safe, secure, and sustainable today, tomorrow, and into the future – plus sharp cost savings for Federal agencies – were among the key takeaways from General Services Administration (GSA) officials who explained the benefits of GSA’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) communications contract on October 5 at an event organized by FCW. […]

State Department
TMF

The Technology Modernization Fund today announced a round of new funding awards totaling $20.8 million to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). […]

digital transformation

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has released a draft Customer Research Agenda that seeks feedback from customers on the agency’s services, and will help inform a five-year plan by the agency improve customer experience. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) released an advisory this week detailing how multiple nation-state hacking groups potentially targeted a Defense Industrial Base (DIB) sector organization’s enterprise network as part of a cyber espionage campaign. […]

election security

In a public service announcement (PSA) issued Oct. 4., the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said they believe that “any attempts by cyber actors to compromise election infrastructure are unlikely to result in largescale disruptions or prevent voting.” […]

Sonny Hashmi, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) at the General Services Administration (GSA), said his operation is targeting a sharp uptick in delivery times for products and services procured through FAS. […]

Cybersecurity
ransomware

Federal officials urged state and local government and education leaders this week to focus on some of the Federal government’s top existing resources in the fight against ransomware attacks – including one principle that’s easy to say but harder to do – don’t meet ransom demands. […]

CISA

Federal agencies are engaged in “a tremendous amount of work” to meet requirements to move to zero trust security architecture as laid out in President Biden’s cybersecurity executive order issued last year, even as some agencies are struggling with initial steps to begin that transition, a top Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) official said Wednesday. […]

cyber workforce

The White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) is calling on stakeholders across the tech industry to provide their insight and expertise on the agency’s strategy to address the severe shortages in cyber workforce, training, and education. […]

State Department

The State Department has awarded Verizon a $1.6 billion contract to modernize communications infrastructure and provide IT services for the agency’s nearly 260 embassies, consulates, and other facilities across the globe. […]

Senate hearing Congressional-min

Richard Revesz – President Biden’s nominee to become the Administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – told senators at a September 29 nomination hearing that he is targeting updates to existing regulatory analysis standards if he is confirmed to the new post. […]

Officials from academia and the private sectors told senators last week that the United States needs to speed its efforts to develop advanced technologies – including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information science (QIS), and distributed ledger tech (DLT) – to stay ahead of rapid development in those areas by China. […]

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