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. […]
Army Launches Online Marketplace for Drones
The U.S. Army on Tuesday unveiled a new online marketplace designed to accelerate the procurement of drones, in an effort to advance the service’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) capabilities, according to the service announcement. […]
CISA Loses Workers as DHS Shutdown Drags On, Acting Director Says
The Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) is losing workers as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continues, the agency’s acting director, Nick Andersen, told Congress on Wednesday. […]
NSF Launches AI-Ready America Initiative With Nationwide Hub Funding
The National Science Foundation (NSF) on Wednesday announced a new multi-agency initiative aimed at expanding artificial intelligence (AI) readiness across America through the creation of AI-focused hubs in every U.S. state and territory. […]
Trump Names Tech Executives to PCAST to Shape Federal Tech, Science Policy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed 13 technology leaders to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), selecting executives from the artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor, crypto, and cloud sectors to help shape federal science and technology policy. […]
Judge Questions Pentagon’s Supply Chain Risk Label of Anthropic
A federal judge in San Francisco raised her concerns at a court hearing over the Pentagon’s decision to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk, suggesting it might be retaliation for the company’s stance on artificial intelligence (AI) use cases. […]
DOE, Commerce Launch Public-Private Partnership for AI Data Center Energy Buildout
The departments of Energy (DOE) and Commerce are teaming up with SoftBank and electric utility AEP Ohio to develop energy infrastructure to support the buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in southern Ohio. […]
Democrats Push Bill to Restore State Power on AI Laws
A group of House Democrats is pushing a proposal that would repeal a December executive order to preempt state artificial intelligence (AI) laws. […]
GAO: IRS Lacking Workforce, Planning for AI Ambitions
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is short on skilled employees to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools – and a plan to address that problem – the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report issued on March 24. […]
Rep. Guthrie Pushes Bipartisan Permitting Reform to Boost Grid Reliability
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., on Wednesday called for bipartisan permitting reform to accelerate energy infrastructure development, warning that fragmented decision-making is slowing projects and putting electric grid reliability at risk. […]
DOD CIO Says JWCC Next Will Improve Cloud Oversight
The Pentagon’s next iteration of the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract, dubbed “JWCC Next,” will offer enhanced financial oversight and clarity on cloud spending, according to Department of Defense (DOD) Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies. […]
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.