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. […]
GSA’s GO.gov to Connect All Civilian Agencies Within 18 Months
The General Services Administration’s (GSA) centralized travel management system will connect with all 124 federal civilian agencies in the next 18 months and include mobile access, a GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) official said Tuesday. […]
AI, ‘Assume Breach’ and Data-Layer Security: Inside FSIs’ New Supply Chain Playbook
In a recent MeriTalk webinar, experts warned that supply chain attacks are increasing in volume and sophistication, as nation-state actors weaponize artificial intelligence (AI) to move faster across the software supply chain. FSIs need to rethink how they apply zero trust and data security to keep pace, they advised. […]
New Bill Seeks Oversight of VA’s $1B Digital Spending
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be required to inventory and keep track of its software and digital services under legislation introduced in the House last week. […]
CBP Moves Toward Quantum Readiness in 2026 Push
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has big plans for quantum technology next year, with a top agency official saying Tuesday that the agency is “hitting that sweet spot” in its progress toward quantum readiness. […]
Elastic Partners With CISA on $130M Cyber Platform
Elastic, a leading Search AI company, announced Tuesday a new partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to develop a Security Information and Event Management as a Service (SIEMaaS) platform for federal agencies. […]
NIST Releases Fresh Draft for Security Checklist Users, Developers
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released an initial public draft for Rev 5 of the agency’s National Checklist Program (NCP) that facilitates the generation of security checklists from authoritative sources, centralizes the location of checklists, and makes checklists broadly accessible. […]
GAO Flags Gaps in DOD Testing Policies
The Pentagon plans to modernize how it tests new weapon systems as part of a broader effort to expedite capabilities to the battlefield, but a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says current policies do not fully reflect industry best practices. […]
House Passes SAMOSA Act to Rein In Federal Software Spending
The House voted Monday to re-pass bipartisan legislation aimed at improving how the federal government purchases and uses software. […]
Lawmakers Question VA’s EHRM Program Cost Estimate as April Restart Nears
With a little over 100 days to go until the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resumes deployments of the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR), lawmakers are questioning whether the VA has a firm grasp on the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program’s future expenses. […]
The Federal AI Evolution: Top Takeaways From GTC DC
For federal agencies and industry partners, NVIDIA’s GTC DC conference felt less like a standard tech gathering and more like a strategic planning session for the next era of artificial intelligence (AI). Sessions touched every part of the federal AI landscape: supercomputing, infrastructure, mission delivery, and policy, providing a clear picture of where government capabilities are headed. […]
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?
The MeriTalk “Industry Insider” column, offers a weekly news roundup of contracts and other activity in the Federal IT industry. Check with MeriTalk daily for the government technology news you need to know, or subscribe to get the latest stories delivered directly to your inbox. You’ll stay up to date with interesting and timely Federal IT stories on cybersecurity, big data, data center modernization, cloud, mobile, and other developments in your community – from what’s next for the MGT Act to the highly anticipated Federal IT revolving capital fund, MeriTalk brings you the trends and breaking IT news to help you modernize, innovate, and transform public sector technology and the missions you support.