The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) released the third installment of the Security Guidance for 5G Cloud Infrastructures four-part series, which is intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data within a 5G core cloud infrastructure. […]

Federal mandates, including Cloud Smart and the Biden administration’s cybersecurity executive order, are pushing agencies to modernize and migrate to the cloud. But with modernization comes complexity. Agencies are increasingly living in a hybrid world, with some workloads remaining on-premises while others move to the cloud. Add multi-cloud vendors to the mix, and it becomes harder for agencies to have a holistic view across their environments. […]

The Federal government is cultivating artificial intelligence (AI) technology gardens across major agencies, but varying mission requirements and funding streams for those efforts are producing strikingly uneven results. […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 6 issued new Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) guidance to Federal agencies for Fiscal Years 2021-2022 that promotes agency action on several items in the Biden administration’s Cybersecurity Executive Order issued in May, and that also aligns with aspects of current Senate legislation on FISMA reform. […]

Since the release of the Cloud First mandate in 2011, the Federal government has been pushing agencies to modernize legacy technology and migrate to the cloud. While Cloud First evolved into Cloud Smart, agencies have historically taken a measured approach to cloud migration. On the most recent FITARA scorecard, only three agencies scored an A in the Modernizing Government Technology category. Eleven agencies scored a C or below. […]

The Federal government avoided a costly shutdown, after the House and Senate both passed a continuing resolution Dec. 2 to keep the government funded until Feb. 18, 2022. President Biden signed the CR today, the White House announced. […]

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that a Russian cybercriminal, charged with providing hosting services for fellow cybercriminals, will serve 60 months in prison for services he provided for malware distribution and attacks on American financial institutions between 2009 and 2015. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released the final draft of its Internet of Things (IoT)-specific guidance for Federal organizations, intended to support extending their risk management process to the inclusion of IoT devices in Federal systems. […]

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an expanded plan for telework and remote work through a new FAQ page on its website, allowing eight days of telework per pay period.  […]

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) IT shop seeks to hire new deputy directors to improve electromagnetic spectrum management, a move that reflects Pentagon leaders’ dedication to the issue. […]

In a new memorandum from the Biden administration, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jason Miller detailed how the White House would like to direct $100 billion in Federal contracting opportunities to small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs). […]

The U.S. Army has awarded Cole Engineering Services a $957.7 million contract to develop, integrate and maintain the service’s enterprise Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE). […]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, access to care, specifically telehealth care, was increasingly important. However, the lack of broadband internet access or internet-connected devices, especially in rural areas of the country, created a significant barrier for Veterans looking to access these services, an official from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said during an FCW virtual event on Dec. 1. […]

To protect high value assets (HVAs), Jennifer Franks, the director of information technology and cybersecurity team at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), recommends agencies build a more structured organization around HVAs, or even a designated team, as opposed to only having one or two people with access to HVAs. […]

The House of Representatives on Dec. 1 approved a pair of cybersecurity bills, along with a bill that would create a task force to study the future of 6G wireless technologies. […]

Leaders in the House and Senate said on Thursday they have reached an agreement for a new continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the Federal government funded through mid-February 2022. Under the existing CR, the government is set to run out of funding before midnight Dec. 3. […]

During a House Committee on Oversight and Reform subcommittee hearing today, the committee took up two IT-related bills, H.R. 4688 and H.R. 5792, one of which was reported favorably to the House and the other postponed with some resistance from the GOP side of the committee. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a detailed schedule for its Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program deployment plans, with revised plans to deploy the EHRM program at a second location in Columbus, Ohio, on March 5, 2022. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will be providing agencies with new resources meant to support a “talent surge” in the Federal government and fill key positions for the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved by voice vote on December 1 the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel  to another term on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she is now chairwoman after being named to head the agency by President Biden in late October. […]

The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled its space priority framework, which gives an overview of how the administration plans to develop and implement national space policy and strategy going forward, including protecting space-related critical infrastructure and strengthening the security of the nation’ space industrial base. […]

Identity management is one of the main pillars of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model, but CISA’s program lead for the Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) program office Sean Connelly said that while identity is an important pillar, it should not be the only pillar agencies focus on. […]

Seventy-seven percent of Federal executives see the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) as a game changer for the future of IT modernization. That’s one of the topline takeaways from a new research infographic from MeriTalk, TMF: One and Done or the Future of Fed Tech Funding? […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that it will be advancing its electronic health record modernization (EHRM) program and add two new positions to help the program more forward. […]

The Professional Services Council (PSC) is boosting its forecast for Federal civilian agency IT spending through 2027, to a 2.3 percent year-over-year growth rate over that period, up from its estimate of 1.8 percent growth last year. […]

An increasingly digitalized global economy requires ever-more digitally skilled workforces for nations to remain productive. Unfortunately, according to a recent report, the U.S. workforce is becoming less digitally savvy than other countries. […]

The Subcommittee on Government Operations of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing today in which members of Congress explored how to build a stronger Federal workforce. […]

Digital vaccine credentials and exposure notification apps can be used to safely reopen social and economic activities and allow for more rapid and broader contact tracing. However, an official from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the improper implementation of both technologies sparked concerns about privacy, effectiveness, interoperability, and equity that may limit their use and potential public health benefits. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) has been taking steps to improve how it acquires and licenses intellectual property (IP) for technology required for cutting-edge weapons systems, but the agency still has more work to do with firming up responsibilities of a new IP Cadre group that it formed to make sure that the IP licensing functions work better. […]

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a roundtable discussion on Nov. 30 with Federal officials and industry experts about proposed reforms to the General Service Administration’s (GSA) Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). […]