IC Leader Details Present and Future Cyber Threats Aug 11, 2020 | 12:14 pm Days after the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) announced the ongoing efforts of foreign nations to interfere in U.S. elections, he offered five additional areas as the present and future of cybersecurity. […]
FITARA Scorecard Setting up for Enduring Changes Aug 11, 2020 | 10:57 am Ten report cards deep into its five-year history, it’s clear that the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) Scorecard has succeeded in its overarching mission – helping to shape Federal agency IT performance for the better. […]
Data Protection for a Distributed Federal Workforce Aug 11, 2020 | 9:15 am While the Coronavirus pandemic has exposed fundamental weaknesses across government systems, the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program has continued to support Federal agencies’ efforts to securely manage data and networks. […]
Think Tank Looks Ahead at Future of AI, Calling for Impact Statements and OTA Aug 11, 2020 | 9:15 am Brookings Institution President John Allen and Vice President and Director of Governance Studies Darrell West are calling for AI policies such as instituting impact statements and reinstating the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as the government prepares for the future of AI. […]
DoD Teams With White House to Share Spectrum Critical for 5G Aug 10, 2020 | 5:05 pm The Department of Defense (DoD) and White House announced today that the Pentagon will make available 100 megahertz of mid-band wireless spectrum that will then be auctioned off to commercial wireless service providers offering 5G services. […]
White House OSTP Requests Info for PNT Resilience Plan Aug 10, 2020 | 3:56 pm The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is requesting information for a National Research and Development Plan for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Resilience. […]
Staff Changes at FCC Aug 10, 2020 | 3:30 pm Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced a series of staffing changes, including two hires, three departures, and a role expansion for a current advisor, on Aug. 7. […]
VA Seeking ‘In-Depth’ Cyber Audit of its Financial Services Center Aug 10, 2020 | 2:58 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking an in-depth cybersecurity audit of its Financial Services Center to analyze its compliance with Federal statutes, how the agency is adapting processes to support compliance, and cybersecurity sustainment across VA. […]
VA Sees 24 Percent Spike in Use of Online Healthcare Tools Aug 10, 2020 | 11:46 am New data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shows a substantial increase in the use of online VA healthcare tools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders. […]
VA Aims for October EHR Implementation Launch Aug 10, 2020 | 11:10 am The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has experienced delays in converting facilities to its new electronic health record (EHR) capabilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now targeting October to implement the changes. […]
IT Sector Pitches Changes to Improve FITARA Scorecard Aug 10, 2020 | 9:56 am Officials with several leading Federal IT service providers applauded government agency grades on last week’s FITARA Scorecard, but also suggested a range of grading category adjustments for the scorecard to better track where agency performance should be going in the future. […]
Feds Managing Streaming Data Increase, but Lack Plan to Keep it Secure in Hybrid Environment Aug 10, 2020 | 9:52 am While 82 percent of Federal IT managers surveyed by MeriTalk agree that the amount of streaming data their agency manages is on the rise, 59 percent also said that their agency is struggling to secure its data consistently between on-premises and cloud. […]
Federal CIO Community Honors Suzette Kent for 2020 With MVP Video Aug 10, 2020 | 9:00 am Time to join the CIO Community in getting social to thank Suzette Kent for her Most Valuable Player performance as our Federal CIO – and especially her leadership in the coronavirus pandemic. Take a look at this tribute video – and share it on your social channels. […]
IC Leader Doubts Adversaries’ Ability to Skew Voting Results ‘at Scale’ Aug 7, 2020 | 5:42 pm A top U.S. intelligence community leader said today the IC doubts the ability of U.S. adversaries to manipulate the results of U.S. general election voting in any widespread way, while warning that exploits may be attempted against election infrastructure with a goal of interfering with voting processes, stealing data, and casting doubt on the democratic process. […]
VA OIG Finds Room for Improvement in Health Information Exchanges Aug 7, 2020 | 3:58 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reviewed usage health information exchanges (HIEs) at 48 VA facilities and community providers for possible barriers to their use. […]
Department of State Offers Reward for Information on Election Interference Aug 7, 2020 | 3:10 pm A Department of State program is offering up to $10 million to help identify bad actors, individuals who are working with or for a foreign government with the purpose of interfering with U.S. elections through certain cyber acts. […]
State Department Cyber Diplomat Departs for ITI Aug 7, 2020 | 11:35 am Amb. Robert Strayer, the Department of State’s point person for cyber and international communications policy, is leaving government to join the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council, a global technology trade association. […]
State Department Launches ‘Clean Network’ Program Against China-Based Comms Aug 7, 2020 | 11:22 am The Department of State launched the Clean Network program on August 5 to promote the protection of American data and telecommunications infrastructure, specifically targeting China-based companies. […]
TSA Seeks Alternative Identification Verification System Aug 7, 2020 | 11:16 am The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is seeking other means to identify airline passengers when they cannot provide acceptable identity documentation. […]
‘Unstructured Data’ Key to Smart Cities, Dallas CIO Zielinski Says Aug 7, 2020 | 10:34 am Data can come in many forms – census data, tax information, even video footage – but whether data is structured in a spreadsheet or unstructured in myriad other forms used to be the key determinant in what insights could be drawn from it. Not anymore. […]
Deputy Federal CIO Roat Applauds Pandemic-Era IT Culture Change Aug 7, 2020 | 10:18 am Reflecting on tech progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat advocated for IT transformation culture changes and sustaining modernization projects in the long term to keep up the momentum for Federal IT improvements. […]
NSF Invests in Quantum Education Effort Aug 6, 2020 | 3:48 pm The National Science Foundation (NSF) is investing in introducing quantum information science (QIS) into K-12 schools, awarding a $750,000 award to an Illinois-based organization that is looking to spread quantum-related curricula. […]
DCSA Aims to Raise Awareness of Insider Threat Aug 6, 2020 | 3:42 pm The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency – the organization which oversees nearly all of the Federal government’s security clearances – is scheduled to host a virtual security conference to kick off the second annual National Insider Threat Awareness Month in early September. […]
GOP Senators Introduce Connecting Minority Communities Act Aug 6, 2020 | 3:03 pm Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., introduced the Connecting Minority Communities Act on Aug. 4. The legislation would codify the existing Minority Broadband Initiative at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in a new Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives (MBI). […]
Zscaler Progressing Toward FedRAMP High Impact for ZIA Gateway Aug 6, 2020 | 2:13 pm Cloud security provider Zscaler said it is making progress in efforts to obtain “High Impact” level classification under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for its Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) service – a secure internet and web gateway solution that was the first product of its kind to receive to earn FedRAMP certification earlier this year. […]
To Meet CAP Goals, IRS Seeking Innovative Approach to Acquisition Data Aug 6, 2020 | 12:46 pm The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is working toward meeting the Office of Management and Budget’s Frictionless Acquisition Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) goal with innovative data management through its Pilot IRS program. […]
Reps. Call for Research Investment in AI Aug 6, 2020 | 11:40 am Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill., have partnered with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) to release a new report that calls for Federal investments into AI R&D. […]
DHS Officials Discuss Latest Cyber Tools, Insist Knowing the Network is Key Aug 6, 2020 | 9:11 am As government cybersecurity practices shifted to adjust to the increase in telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) previewed cyber tools offered by the agencies, but reminded Feds that knowing the network architecture is an early and necessary step toward selecting the correct protections. […]
COVID-19 Forces Rapid Network Modernization Aug 5, 2020 | 3:44 pm The COVID-19 pandemic has made all levels of government radically change how they operate. From shifting their workforce to telework to delivering government services digitally, Federal, state, and local governments have had to pivot the way they work, while still delivering on their mission. […]
CISA Releases Cyber Workforce Tool Aug 5, 2020 | 3:33 pm The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a new online tool designed to help individuals navigate career options in the field of cybersecurity. […]