A proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency coming out in the Federal Register this Friday would expand the collection of biometrics data by about 2.17 million submissions annually. […]

MeriTalk recently sat down with Chip Carr, Senior Manager of Virtual GPU Technology at NVIDIA to discuss how Federal agencies have transitioned to telework environments while introducing new technologies, applications and collaboration tools – and what Carr sees going forward. […]

Federal agency and private-sector healthcare officials agreed this week that the sharp increase in delivery of telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic has advanced state of the art in service delivery, along with the need to ramp up cybersecurity protections. […]

Government network operators can’t manage what they are unable to see. But the latest technology developed by Ciena and deployed by CenturyLink is solving that problem by providing network operators with the ability to view their entire IP MPLS networks so they can more easily diagnose and solve network congestion issues. […]

In the last six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced government agencies at all levels to radically change how they operate. Federal, state, and local agencies were called to update infrastructure practically overnight to support expected requirements – maximum telework, rapid roll-out of new services, and more.   […]

Investments in “basic” IT modernization initiatives, such as improving bandwidth and updating laptops, were the backbone behind telework success at the Department of Energy (DOE) as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, CIO Rocky Campione said at the September 3 Lessons from DOE: Foresight and Focus Keep the Grid Humming webinar. […]

While the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint AI Center (JAIC) moves forward on its Joint Common Foundation (JCF) and other initiatives, Acting Director Nand Mulchandani underscored the continuing need for data sets and security measures as the basis of AI efforts. […]

With the 2020 General Election a mere eight weeks away, election officials at both the state and Federal level are preparing for the final sprint to Nov. 3. […]

A recent report from Uptime Institute forecasts that most data center owners and operators will move to make their operations more resilient in the future – a decision spurred not only by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic but also a desire to be ready to meet the impact of any future such event. […]

The new cybersecurity standard for contractors in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) supply chain ecosystem is soon to have regulatory backing, according to Katie Arrington, CISO for Acquisition and Sustainment at the DoD. […]

The overwhelming majority – 81 percent – of Federal agencies are increasing their adoption of multi-cloud to support telework and mission needs related to COVID-19, according to a recent GDIT and MeriTalk report. However, nearly half – 42 percent – of Federal cybersecurity managers surveyed said their cyber strategies can’t keep pace with evolving multi-cloud environments. […]

Assessing the current threat landscape six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher Krebs listed nation-state spies, cybercriminals committing fraud, and the spread of disinformation as top cyberattack vectors. […]

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on the Federal workforce, one positive impact has been to boost the efficiency of Federal agency employees in how they approach their day-to-day duties, said Bryan Ware, Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]

A new report from Uptime Institute drives home the importance of data center workforce diversity – finding companies that commit to diverse and inclusive workplaces have more effective employee-ambassador recruitment, higher employee retention rates, and better employee career satisfaction scores. […]

Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat asserted at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit that the Federal government is using a DevSecOps approach to integrate security into every aspect of modernization, but she insisted that the workforce must be cyber ready to be entirely secure. […]

The Federal Communications Commission said on Sept. 4 that the total cost of removing and replacing telecommunications equipment made by China-based Huawei and ZTE from the networks of smaller U.S. carriers could be more than $1.6 billion. […]

Former National Security Agency (NSA) Deputy Director Chris Inglis knows something about cyber education. Inglis is a professor – currently serving as the Looker Distinguished Visiting Professor of Cyber Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy – and he says the nation needs more coordination and investment in cyber education to meet its needs going forward.   […]

The Defense Department (DoD) recently issued an information sheet to provide service members and their families with online mental health resources, specifically providing help to those who are survivors of sexual assault. […]

With no U.S.-based companies dominating the worldwide market for network equipment that underlies 5G wireless services, and with the U.S. in the midst of a years-long campaign to ban Chinese network equipment makers from U.S. and allies’ markets, perhaps the most important battle for the longer-term future of 5G network infrastructure is gearing up now in and near the halls of power in Washington, D.C. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) said today it has reaffirmed its decision to award the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud contract to Microsoft, following a “comprehensive re-evaluation” of proposals. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) released a draft of the Data Ethics Framework – part of the Federal Data Strategy action plan – earlier this week detailing Fed standards for using data appropriately and government use cases. […]

While many agencies are looking to modernize their legacy systems or digital government services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking a more unique modernization project – automating the identification of beluga whales. […]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are teaming up to prepare for and protect against electromagnetic pulse scenarios. […]

The Information Technology Industry Council this week released its guide for cybersecurity certification, which includes a warning against a “one-size-fits-all solution” in certification. […]

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) is seeking technology and techniques to enhance Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) capabilities. […]

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is seeking industry input as it looks to invest in ship-mounted cloud computing infrastructure as part of the Navy’s broader future strategy for network-centric naval warfare. […]

The zero trust security model is hardly new – it was already a much-discussed evolutionary concept long before the coronavirus pandemic slammed into the nation and U.S. government operations in early March. The talk on zero trust was not if, but when. But as with many other imperatives in the Federal IT arena since then, […]

Reducing the U.S.’ reliance on importing high value materials for consumer electronics, such as gold and other high value materials, could rely on emerging technologies making electronics recycling easier. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a new electronic virtual assistant (e-VA) to help veterans connect with agency counselors and answer basic questions. […]

In March, as the COVID-19 threat grew and Federal agencies sprinted to enable telework for nearly all Federal employees, they grappled with numerous challenges. Among them were procuring large numbers of devices, ensuring information security, expanding network capacity, training employees, shifting to new communications methods, and securing funding for all of the above. […]