Before the COVID-19 outbreak, just 40 percent of Federal and only 4 percent of State and Local government employees were authorized to telework. But since then, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is mandating that Federal agencies maximize telework across the nation, and many SLGs are doing the same. Embracing telework – and doing it right – is a government-wide priority.  […]

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released its Insider Threat Roadmap on May 14, with details on how the agency plans to use emerging tech and advanced analytics to mitigate risks.  […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent this week applauded the capacity of commercial, cloud-based solutions in helping the government focus on mission continuity and response during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. […]

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has been taking the current remote-standard in stride as it has enough capacity in its cloud-based systems for personnel teleworking. […]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning research organizations studying COVID-19 that they may be susceptible to targeting and network compromise by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). […]

In a move to strengthen the United States’ cybersecurity posture, Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo., introduced the Cybersecurity Competitions to Yield Better Efforts to Research the Latest Exceptionally Advanced Problems (CYBER LEAP) Act of 2020. […]

As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to change daily life, both the public and private sectors have stepped up with tech innovations to ease the transition and save lives. The speed of these innovations, however, seemingly outpace our ability to keep up with what new tech is available. […]

Schools moving to distance learning to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown a bright light on the homework gap experienced by 12 million students who lack internet access at home. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate released a predictive modeling tool to estimate the natural decay of SARS-CoV-2 – which causes COVID-19 – under a range of temperatures and humidity levels. […]

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) announced on May 11 that it has won a $50 million contract with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to support the agency’s expansion and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). […]

For the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the biggest challenges for implementing new tools include working through policy points and providing balanced product teams to do software engineering well. […]

Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has named Neil Wiley as Principle Executive at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). […]

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said at a May 13 hearing that he is pushing to include in National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislation a requirement for a National Cyber Director. […]

Often taken for granted in the eight weeks since the coronavirus pandemic struck is one simple but vital truth: the linchpin holding together the Federal government’s ability to provide crucial services is the technology that ties the enterprise together. Federal IT has literally brought us together – as a government, and as a nation. As government IT operations achieve steady-state and look to the next chapter of digital modernization, MeriTalk is chronicling the untold stories – and lessons – of that effort. Today we check in with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) operation. […]

A cyber intrusion that occurred at the U.S. Marshals Service in December 2019 exposed 387,000 individuals’ names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers to attackers, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk yesterday. […]

In a two-week period during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Small Business Administration (SBA) processed more total loans than it had in 14 years, according to Melvin Brown II, director of the Enterprise Business Management Office within the agency’s CIO Office.  At the May 13 FCW Workshop on Data and Analytics, Brown shared the data management tips that helped the agency succeed. […]

The data available to those in the Intelligence Community can be likened to water coming from a fire hose. For an IC analyst, the power can be overwhelming, though in order to act effectively, the surge of data must be controlled. […]

Cloud security provider Zscaler announced that its Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) service has achieved the first-ever FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) High Authority designation from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board (JAB) for zero trust remote access service. […]

Republican House leadership has its eye on AI, data privacy, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in its newly released emerging tech agenda. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of American life, but changes to the way students learn and adults work has presented unique challenges to the U.S. broadband network. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) revealed a new human-centered design for its Cloud Information Center (CIC) on May 13, in accordance with web design guidelines in the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.  […]

The Professional Services Council (PSC) said in a press release that it applauds the inclusion of contractor-focused provisions with the House’s latest coronavirus response bill released yesterday. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a cloud-based solution to improve its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Management Information System, according to a May 12 request for information (RFI). […]

As the Federal government has shifted to telework, the security of its cloud and mobile environments has grown even more critical. Concerningly, the majority of Federal stakeholders believe the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program isn’t able to keep pace with cyber threats, a new report from MeriTalk found. […]

Sorting through the plethora of rules, regulations, and laws, which apply to the cyber domain can be daunting. The United Nations has designated two groups with the task. Are you wondering how to keep up? […]

DevSecOps, or development security operations, is not a term that rolls off the tip of your tongue in an “agile” way, but it is a process that is gaining momentum across the Federal government. […]

Maria Roat, who currently serves as CIO of the Small Business Administration (SBA), is being promoted to deputy Federal CIO at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the end of the month, MeriTalk has learned. […]

The latest COVID-19 relief legislation being prepared by House Democrats – the HEROES Act – proposes $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to help Federal agencies improve their information technology systems. […]

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting significant financial pressure on states nationwide, Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., introduced the Secure Our Elections Act to eliminate a requirement for states to match a portion of Federal funding received for election security.   […]

The Government Accountability Office said in a new report that it has 11 open recommendations to the Defense Department (DoD), among a total of 1,106 outstanding open recommendations to the agency. […]