The former Federal Chief Information Security Officer Grant Schneider drew on his nearly 28 years of government experience to explain how government information is secured now and offered his thoughts on where information security might be headed in the future. […]
The Bureau of the Fiscal Service within the Department of Treasury is looking to streamline the government financial processes by adopting emerging technologies with two cost-saving projects. […]
The Department of Energy (DOE) is releasing its annual solicitation for the Technology Commercialization Fund, dedicated to commercializing innovative energy technologies as a part of the agency’s partnership with the private sector. […]
The Government Accountability Office said in a report that in order to fully implement the White House’s National Cyber Strategy a “clarity of leadership” is “urgently needed.” […]
The FBI in conjunction with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a public service announcement to raise awareness about the potential for disinformation around the results of the elections, especially in the period after voting has occurred. […]
Several former commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission warned the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the consequences of delay in passing a Federal privacy standard during a hearing on Wednesday. […]
On Sept. 23, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a “historic” update to its flagship security and privacy guidance, Special Publication (SP) 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations. […]
General Services Administration (GSA) CIO David Shive and Government Accountability Office Director of IT and Cybersecurity Kevin Walsh agreed that the FITARA scorecard is meeting its intended goals, but detailed specific improvements like the addition of a Technology Business Management (TBM) score to boost its effectiveness. […]
As the U.S. faces increased foreign cyber threats, the Department of State said in 2019 that it would stand up a Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) to address these threats, but according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), State hasn’t informed or involved other partners in the bureau planning, which could increase risks of duplicating efforts. […]
Federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration and National Oceanic Atmospheric Association, are realizing the scalability and cost benefits of a multi-cloud environment as they navigate remote work and service delivery. But, for agencies both new to and well-versed in the cloud, Booz Allen Hamilton cloud leaders John Pisano and Jimmy Pham are advising that governance from the get-go is a key consideration for making a multi-cloud environment more effective. […]
Six months into a highly successful make-or-break campaign to put the Federal government workforce on a remote-work footing to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the hard-won experience of that battle has paved the way for renewed action on broader IT modernization, government and private sector officials said on a recent MeriTalk webinar. […]
Public sector security professionals have had an extremely busy six months juggling pandemic-driven security needs alongside the perennial objective of improving Federal agency security for the longer haul. […]
MeriTalk caught up with the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Director of the Data and Privacy Project Michelle Richardson, a witness for the committee back in April, to get her take on this week’s Senate hearing, what has changed recently in the privacy world, and the prospects for a Federal privacy standard. […]
In a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was found to not be taking enough action to protect information exchanged with affiliated agencies, contractors, and state, local, and tribal groups. […]
On Sept. 16, Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and Bill Foster, D-Ill., introduced bipartisan legislation to advance quantum technology through the Quantum Network Infrastructure Act of 2020. […]
A new report from the Greater Washington Partnership revealed that employers in the National Capital Region that responded to their survey plan to have 72 percent of their employees return to the office by summer 2021, but a third of those respondents are still unsure of their reopening plans that far in advance. […]
In its September 2020 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) update, the Department of Labor (DOL) described several key leadership changes on its enterprise-wide shared services initiative […]
Former Virginia-based Federal contracting executive Brodie S. Thomson was sentenced to 42 months in prison following his guilty plea in June in a $4.1 million fraud scheme that involved soliciting bribes and receiving financial kickbacks in connection with prime government contracts and subcontracts awarded to a firm where he was a senior executive. […]
A group of Republican senators introduced a bill to create a national data privacy standard, formally bringing forth a bill that had been released as a staff draft almost a year ago. […]
Weeks after the Department of Defense announced additional mid-band spectrum would be available for industry use, the department is circling back to industry requesting more information on spectrum sharing. […]
On Friday, Assistant Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bryan Ware announced that the agency was issuing Emergency Directive 20-04, which instructs Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies to apply a security update for Microsoft’s Windows Servers to all domain controllers. […]
In the September 2020 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) updates, two Federal agencies focused on rural broadband expansion reported they are meeting key milestones. […]
A key Congressman on the House Armed Services Committee spoke in support of three technology bills Friday, expressing optimism with the “bipartisan and bicameral” legislation as the legislative calendar for this session of Congress winds down. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching several real-time customer experience surveys on its websites to monitor feedback from veterans on their use of VA.gov, according to the agency’s September 2020 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) update. […]
Worldwide traveling restrictions have limited the Department of State’s progress for its Agency Priority Goal Action Plan of enhancing security monitoring solutions, the agency reported in a September update to its PMA goals. […]
During its Sept. 16 business meeting, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved a host of bills, including legislation on spectrum valuation, e-signature modernization, and increased funding for research. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency set out to have reliable cyber data for 24 CFO Act Federal agencies by the end of the September, but a new update from the agency says only a “handful of agencies” are on track for that, and the goal is not likely to be accomplished until next fiscal year. […]
MeriTalk recently spoke with Bobby McLernon, Vice President of Federal Sales, Axonius, on the importance of cybersecurity asset management, current asset visibility challenges, and lessons learned from public-private sector collaboration. […]
Several members of the House and Senate are lining up their support for GovTech4Biden – a group of government technology leaders that is raising money to support the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending that the Treasury Department take steps – in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and others – to better track and prioritize cyber risk mitigation efforts across the financial services sector. […]