The NewPay software-as-a-service solution offers a strong path to modernization for the Federal payroll process, but a successful effort will require agencies to stop using unique systems and requirements, said Michelle Singer, director of the Department of the Interior’s Interior Business Center. […]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) plans to furlough 150 employees if Congress does not authorize a proposed merger of OPM with the General Services Administration by June 30, according to a report from the Washington Post. […]
Now that the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been in place for about a year, managing big data and automating workflow are two significant challenges organizations face as they continue tackling data protection, International Data Cooperation European Security Research Director Martin Whitworth said. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) pedestalled the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for its successful cloud migration in a June 18 blog post. […]
Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced the Hack Your State Department Act on June 12. […]
The Congressional Internet Caucus announced June 18 that Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., is the new House co-chair of the Caucus. […]
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently released a report citing a need for improvements in software version control management for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). […]
A panel of witnesses explained to senators the challenges and potential solutions for securely using and regulating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones at a June 18 Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Security Subcommittee hearing. […]
The House Appropriations Committee released a second of five appropriations minibus FY2020 spending bills for Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the finalized version of Special Publication (SP) 800-205 today, offering a guide for implementing attributes in Federal access control systems. […]
The U.S. Army is revamping its strategy for acquiring intellectual property (IP) to meet sustainment goals and use data more efficiently, said Dr. Alexis Lasselle Ross, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategy and Acquisition Reform. […]
A new zero-day flaw has been discovered in a TP-Link Wi-Fi extender, according to an IBM blog post published today. […]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on June 17 announced formation of a new agency task force aimed at putting more broadband service to work to advance precision agriculture. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is looking for feedback on the nation’s high-performance computing resources as the agency develops a new National Strategic Computing Initiative. Responses are due by August 23. […]
Michael Chertoff, formerly secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and now at the helm of risk-management and security consulting firm Chertoff Group, said today he believes that U.S. data regulation will end up taking a page from European data privacy laws by giving citizens greater ability to control what companies do with their data. […]
As of April, 209,000 Americans have volunteered to provide their personal health data for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program to build a national research cohort of over 1 million participants that will help drive the Precision Medicine Initiative. But those participants may have placed their data at risk. […]
The House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (HR 2500) includes a provision to establish new acquisition pathways for software applications and software upgrades, as well as develop a program for acquisition training and management. […]
The worsening worldwide shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals is shaping up to be a key driver to cloud-delivered security services, explained Peter Firstbrook, a VP analyst with Gartner, at the company’s Security and Risk Management Summit on June 17. […]
The United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) did not properly manage its active directory, leaving multiple vulnerabilities and showing little improvement from previous audits of the agency’s cybersecurity posture, according to a Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (IG) report released June 13. […]
As the Department of Homeland Security Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) has begun migrating its biometric processing system to the cloud, the office issued a Request for Information (RFI) today to gather information for developing, maintaining, and securing its data on the new cloud environment. […]
Among the many amendments that representatives will pitch next week to adjust the House spending package, Reps. Anthony Brown, D-Md., and Tim Walberg, R-Mich., look to introduce amendments to increase cybersecurity funding. […]
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone (DO NOT) Call Act of 2019 on June 14. The legislation “will improve enforcement and enhance penalties for violations made under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA),” according to the bill’s sponsors. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Federal government does not collect data on airline IT outages, leading to limited insights into how IT outages impact travelers, according to a report released June 12. […]
Reps. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., and Tim Walberg R-Mich., introduced new legislation on June 13 to “help close the workforce shortage in the telecommunications industry.” The legislators said the TOWER Infrastructure Deployment Act, H.R. 3255, “reflects the need for a highly-skilled, professional workforce equipped to deploy 5G, lightning-fast broadband networks, and new broadcast technology.” […]
Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif, introduced the Less Traffic with Smart Stop Lights Act of 2019 (HR 3261) on June 13 to establish a Department of Transportation grant program to modernize stoplights to “reduce traffic, improve safety, reduce fuel costs, and lessen air pollution.” […]
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has promoted Matthew Schruers from vice president of law and policy to chief operating officer. […]
On June 13, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, introduced the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Cyber Training Act (H.R. 3266) that would direct the Secretary of Defense to initiate a high school-level program that would increase JROTC students’ preparation for careers in computer science and cybersecurity. […]
Both the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) agree that OPM is facing delays in handling retirement applications and needs to replace the paper-based process, but GAO urged OPM to come up with a more concrete IT modernization plan for the program in a report released Friday, June 14. […]
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA’s) contracting branch – the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) – will reduce its enterprise acquisition services fee starting Oct. 1. […]
Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced the Protecting Personal Health Data Act today to safeguard the privacy of consumer health data from companies that collect such data. […]