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. […]
DOD Awards SAIC $1.4B COBRA Contract
The Pentagon has awarded a $1.4 billion task order to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to support the development of technologies under the Collaborative Operations for Battlespace Resilient Architecture (COBRA) program. […]
FAA Begins Next Phase of ATC Modernization With New Centralized Platform Search
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants a new centralized platform that air traffic controllers can use to receive flight data and move aircraft between different parts of the airspace, the agency said last week. […]
OPM: Trump Administration Has Surpassed Federal Workforce Cut Targets
The Trump administration exceeded its target for the number of federal worker departures this year, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor said, announcing nearly 317,000 employees left their agency jobs. […]
VA Uses AI to Eliminate CHAMPVA Application Backlog
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said on Nov. 24 it has eliminated its backlog of Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) applications – a program that offers health care benefits to more than 900,000 qualifying beneficiaries – with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). […]
Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Republicans Against AI Moratorium in Defense Bill
Members of Congress and state lawmakers are urging congressional Republicans to drop their plans to add language to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would place a moratorium on state-level laws regulating artificial intelligence (AI). […]
Senators Back Liquid Cooling for AI Data Centers to Curb Water Usage and Costs
New legislation would reduce artificial intelligence (AI) data centers’ impact on the environment by managing energy consumption and lowering infrastructure costs, according to a bipartisan pair of senators. […]
Space Command Forms Task Force to Guide Headquarters Move
The U.S. Space Command has established an internal planning group, dubbed Task Force Voyager, to coordinate the command’s headquarters relocation from Colorado to Alabama, a spokesperson told MeriTalk. […]
AWS to Invest $50B in AI, Supercomputing for Government Agencies
Amazon Web Services (AWS) – a longtime partner of the federal government – plans to invest up to $50 billion to expand AI and supercomputing capabilities for its U.S. government customers. […]
Democrats Slam Vought as CFPB Cybersecurity Craters
Senate Democrat leadership slammed Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Russell Vought on Monday for continuing efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), warning that those actions have put Americans’ data at risk. […]
Trump Launches ‘Genesis Mission’ to Supercharge AI-Driven Science
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday afternoon to boost artificial intelligence (AI)-powered research and development by turning government data into scientific discoveries. […]
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.