Nearly three months since Federal agencies were directed to maximize telework, Federal CIOs at a June 11 ATARC virtual conference talked about what the telework experience may mean for the IT workforce of the future – and how agencies may balance newfound efficiencies with the need for human interaction in the workplace. […]
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking proposals for a Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) tool to enable the Office of the CIO within the FBI’s Enterprise Information Security Section (EISS) to provide automated security processes and enhance reporting abilities. […]
A group of House Energy and Commerce Committee members urged House appropriators In a June 10 letter to fund the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (Broadband DATA Act). […]
Bill Hunt, Chief Enterprise Architect at the Small Business Administration, detailed today some of the steps that SBA took to use the cloud for the Paycheck Protection Program established under the CARES Act in March to help fund payroll costs for small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. […]
Federal CIO Suzette Kent said today that lessons Federal agencies have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic need to drive further efficiencies in government IT operations in order to better prepare operations for any future emergencies. […]
A May 2020 report from the Federal CIO Council on the future of the government IT workforce makes 10 new recommendations to improve the 21st century work environment, including better recognition for employees doing a good job and revamping the hiring process. […]
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced that Mona Harrington, who has been serving as the Commission’s acting executive director, is now its permanent executive director. […]
The Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government said agencies are “making progress” towards the Dec. 31, 2022 goal of transferring only electronic records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), but added many agencies are concerned about resources as they strive to meet the unfunded mandate. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it will be awarding it’s $7.5 million Contract Acquisition Life-cycle Management (CALM) system pilot phase task order to Sevatec. […]
The National Guard and U.S. Cyber Command have formed a partnership to open lines of communication between state and local governments and the military’s top cyber force to address the top priority of the command - the 2020 elections. […]
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted today to confirm the nominations of Russell Vought and Craig Leen as permanent director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), respectively, at a business meeting today. […]
The Federal CDO Council has selected Ted Kaouk, CDO at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), to lead the council as chair, according to a June 10 press release from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). […]
“Team Telecom” – a group of Federal government officials tasked with making recommendations on the national security implications of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) telecommunications applications – has failed to properly monitor Chinese government-owned telecommunication carriers, according to a June 9 report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). […]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is planning to improve customer service delivery and experience through a range of customer service activities including surveys, user testing, interviews, and focus groups. […]
The Department of State is seeking information from industry vendors on how they would implement a 5G Clean Path plan, which would guide 5G network traffic in and out of U.S. diplomatic facilities at home and abroad while ensuring it does not traverse untrustworthy equipment from vendors such as Huawei Technologies or ZTE Corporation. […]
Bill Harrod, Federal CTO at mobility management software maker MobileIron, is looking for changes in Federal bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies – along with continued drives toward digital transformation – to help sustain and make more secure the turn to widespread telework by government and industry in the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. […]
Autonomous cybersecurity is changing the way the government protects and secures its crucial data. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, agencies can respond to cyber threats in real time and more efficiently than ever. MeriTalk connected with Dr. Matt McFadden, Cyber Director, GDIT to discuss this burgeoning field. […]
Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program Manager Kevin Cox said today that the program’s mission has mostly continued without a hitch through the COVID-19 pandemic, while also serving to better inform the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal agencies about the security implications of maximum telework. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) announced June 8 that it has invited 10 technology providers and industry experts to collaborate on the Protecting Information and System Integrity in Industrial Control System Environments Project. […]
Geoffrey Starks, commissioner at the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced the creation of the Digital Opportunity Equity Recognition (DOER) Program. The program, announced on June 8, will “commend organizations, institutions, companies, and individuals who, through their actions and responses to the COVID-19 crisis, have helped to make quality affordable broadband service available to unserved or underserved communities.” A statement from Starks specifically called out organizations that have leveraged the use of broadband to improve healthcare, education, public safety, civic engagement, or other essential services,” as well as entities that have promoted digital education and literacy. […]
For the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), its Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program and its Quality Service Management Office (QSMO) both serve roles for the agency to provide service excellence to Federal customers. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is calling for comments on four of its digital identity guidelines to improve security and privacy considerations in each document. […]
Sean Connelly, Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Program Manager at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), detailed at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines virtual event today how TIC and the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program work together to bolster Federal cybersecurity. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program has been a key tool for managing cybersecurity risks since Federal employees began maximum telework in March by helping to maintain situational awareness on networks, said Federal CISO Grant Schneider at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines digital event today. […]
The Departments of Commerce and Health and Human Services are teaming up to take down websites that sell opioids illegally online through a new pilot program with three domain name registries. […]
Bo Berlas, CISO at the at the General Services Administration (GSA), lauded the Department of Homeland Security’ (DHS) government-wide cybersecurity program and its effects in automating cybersecurity tasks for GSA. […]
Since the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program launched the minimal viable product version of its new dashboard last month, more Federal agencies have seen the value in choosing a cloud-hosted dashboard due in part to the need for more scalability in light of the coronavirus pandemic, CDM Project Manager Judy Baltensperger said today at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines virtual event […]
COVID-19-related spending by Federal agencies grew to a total of $15.5 billion as of early June, up from a total of $13 billion as of May 22, according to data obtained from the Federal Procurement Data System. […]
The House Armed Services Committee on June 5 released its markup schedule for the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act – a must-pass piece of legislation that normally features plenty of technology-related provisions. […]
Election security experts at the Brennan Center for Justice released a new guide June 5 on how to protect elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically calling attention to existing resources from Federal agencies and the need for more Federal funding. […]