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. […]
Lawmakers Warn Lack of Details Could Result in Budget Delays
Lawmakers from both parties raised concerns this week over a lack of detail in the Trump administration’s budget request for the Defense Department (DOD). They warned that lack of information could slow Congress’ already challenging effort to pass a federal budget. […]
GAO Pledges Fraud Battle, Tech Advances With Higher 2027 Budget
The acting head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) told senators on April 15 that GAO will continue to pursue its never-ending government operations fraud-fighting efforts – while boosting its internal use of emerging technologies – under GAO’s proposed budget increase for fiscal year (FY) 2027. […]
GAO Official Warns AI Expands Risk Surface, Calls for Built-In Security
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) cybersecurity official said agencies must build security into artificial intelligence (AI) from the outset as the technology expands federal attach surfaces. […]
VA Credits Automation for Faster Claims Processing
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is accelerating the processing of disability claims and improving accuracy, and agency officials are giving credit to expanded use of automation. […]
No More Degree Requirements? OPM Shifts to Skills-Based Federal Hiring
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has begun a sweeping overhaul of federal hiring practices, launching a lengthy effort to rewrite all 604 occupational series to prioritize skills- and competency-based qualifications. […]
Quantum Sector Shifts Toward Early-Stage Commercialization
Quantum technologies are transitioning from research to early commercialization, the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) announced Wednesday in its latest annual report. […]
Colorado, Montana Bases Tapped as Potential Sites for Nuclear Microreactor
The Department of the Air Force (DAF), in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), has selected the Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana as potential sites for nuclear microreactors. […]
SBIR, STTR Programs Revived More Than 6 Months After Expiring
More than six months after they expired, the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs will again provide needed funding to support America’s small businesses. […]
QuEra’s Yuval Boger on Quantum Timelines, Neutral-Atom Systems, and the Hybrid Future
For federal technology leaders trying to decide when quantum computing moves from a long-range research issue to an operational priority, Yuval Boger says the answer is sooner than many agencies think. In a recent interview with MeriTalk, the QuEra executive said the U.S. government is increasingly treating quantum computing as both a national security concern and an economic competitiveness issue. […]
Why Real-Time Finance Remains So Difficult in Government
MeriTalk’s new Future-Ready Finance report, underwritten by Workday Government, shows many finance teams are still dealing with fragmented systems and manual workarounds that make confident decision-making much harder. MeriTalk recently sat down with Annamary Holbrook, director of federal solutions consulting at Workday Government, to discuss what the findings mean in practice. […]
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.