Federal CIO Kent Announces Cyber Reskilling Academy
Federal CIO Suzette Kent this morning announced creation of the Federal Cyber Reskilling Academy–a joint effort of the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education, and the Federal CIO Council Workforce Committee–to kickstart the Federal government’s efforts to address gaps in the Federal cybersecurity workforce and help retrain Federal employees. […]
Feds Reach IT Modernization Tipping Point
A new report from MeriTalk and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) finds that Federal finance, IT, and procurement experts believe we’ve reached an IT modernization tipping point. […]
DHS Launches ICT Sector Supply Chain Risk Task Force
The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 30 announced launch of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, which the agency said is charged with developing “consensus recommendations” to identify and manage risk to the global ICT supply chain. […]
DHS’ Manfra Discusses FISMA Update, Impact to CDM
Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security, said today that the new update to Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) guidance will place even more accountability on department leaders and reflects an evolution in discussions between agencies and DHS. […]
House Members Want AI Security Playbook to Counter Foreign Cyber Threats
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation on June 12 that would direct the National Security Agency (NSA) to create an artificial intelligence playbook to help safeguard American AI systems from foreign espionage and cyberattacks. […]
ICE Buying Blockchain Tools From TRM, Chainalysis
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday that its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component plans to make further investments in blockchain technology to assist in criminal investigations. […]
Democrats Urge Senate to Scrap AI Ban Tied to Broadband Funds
More than 30 Democratic members of the House of Representatives are urging top Senate leaders to reconsider a proposal being offered in the Senate that would require states seeking Federal broadband support to abide by a proposed ten-year moratorium on creating state-level artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. […]
DCSA Awards Omni $427M Background Check Modernization Deal
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has awarded Omni Federal a $427 million contract to support the modernization of the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS). […]
Lawmakers Reconstitute Universal Service Fund Working Group
Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., ranking member of the Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., chair of the subcommittee, announced on Thursday the reconstitution of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group. […]
Agentic AI – Both Pros and Cons – Gets Capitol Hill Grilling
Agentic artificial intelligence services – those that are designed to act with more autonomy than their generative or predictive AI forebears – drew a mixed reception today from lawmakers and witnesses who talked about the advantages of the latest AI flavor along with cybersecurity concerns during a hearing held by the House Homeland Security Committee’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. […]
FedRAMP 20X Sees Speedy Pilot Timelines Through Year-End
Officials with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) said on June 11 that they envision rapid progress through the rest of this year on several pilots that are aiming to harness automation to speed FedRAMP’s ability to approve cloud-based service offerings for government agency use. […]
Pentagon Plans to Release Final SWFT Framework in July
The Department of Defense (DoD) is getting ready to launch the final version of its Software Fast Track (SWFT) framework in July, marking a significant step toward replacing outdated software acquisition processes with a faster, AI-driven system. […]
Commerce Awarding Micron Tech $275M of CHIPS Funding
The Department of Commerce said today it will award Micron Technology another $275 million of CHIPS and Science Act funding as part of the company’s announcement that it plans to invest $200 billion in semiconductor manufacturing and R&D to expand U.S.-based memory chip production. […]
GAO: IRS Has an AI Oversight Problem With Vendor
A Federal watchdog said in a new report that the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) is falling short on overseeing its identity verification vendor’s use of artificial intelligence, even as it earns high marks for protecting taxpayer data. […]
With 80 percent of every Federal IT dollar spent on life support for legacy systems, the Federal IT community is exploring new options to modernize and innovate – virtualization, cloud computing, Flash technology, software-defined options, shared services, and more. MeriTalk is staying close to the leaders on the front lines, bringing you new ideas and lessons learned.
And, as Federal IT leaders work to meet demands of an “always-on” highly mobile government, we bring you the stories and breaking news on balancing productivity with security. Our government IT news includes how agencies manage advanced persistent threats, and the steps that help guard against socially engineered threats. We look at the latest trends in malware, spyware, ransomware, and spear phishing. And – how can Federal agencies protect data from tomorrow’s cyber threats?
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