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. […]
Appeals Court Clears DOGE Access to SSA Data, New Privacy Concerns Mount
A federal appeals court last week vacated a preliminary injunction that had restricted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration (SSA), clearing the way for broader data access. […]
NTIA Launches Portal to Streamline Space Launch Spectrum Approvals
A new online portal operated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will streamline reviews of spectrum requests made by commercial space launch providers. […]
Pentagon’s CIO Announces Staff Changes
The Defense Department’s (DOD) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) announced several personnel changes via LinkedIn over the weekend. It said the moves would support efforts to modernize defense information systems and broader priorities across the DOD, which has been rebranded as the War Department by the Trump administration. […]
US-China AI Model Gap Narrows as US Leads in Data Centers
The performance gap between United States and Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models has “effectively closed,” even as the United States maintains a strong lead in data center infrastructure and investment, according to a new report released April 13 by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. […]
Anthropic Limits Release of New AI Model Over Cyber Concerns
Anthropic on Tuesday announced plans to limit the release of its artificial intelligence (AI) model, Claude Mythos Preview, to a select group of technology companies, citing concerns about potential damage from a wider public rollout. […]
DOE Pledges $135 Million for Fusion Technologies
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is pledging $135 million to further develop and commercialize fusion technologies, the largest investment in fusion technology in the agency’s history. […]
Federal Court Denies Anthropic’s Bid to Temporarily Block DOD Blacklisting
A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected a request by Anthropic to pause the Defense Department’s (DOD) designation of the company as a supply chain risk. […]
Federal Workforce Cuts Have Cost $71B, New Data Tool Estimates
A new data tool from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service estimates that the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce cost nearly $71 billion in economic damage, including about $4.5 billion tied to the administration’s deferred resignation program. […]
CMS Rolls Out First Phase of Digital Health Ecosystem
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled the first phase of a new digital health ecosystem on Thursday, including a Medicare App Library and patient-facing tools to replace paper-based processes with digital services. […]
Treasury Launches Cyber Threat-Sharing Initiative for Digital Asset Sector
The Treasury Department said Thursday that it will share cyber threat information with digital asset firms through a new initiative to strengthen cybersecurity across the digital asset industry. […]
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.