Often taken for granted in the eight weeks since the coronavirus pandemic struck is one simple but vital truth: the linchpin holding together the Federal government’s ability to provide crucial services is the technology that ties the enterprise together. Federal IT has literally brought us together – as a government, and as a nation. As government IT operations achieve steady-state and look to the next chapter of digital modernization, MeriTalk is chronicling the untold stories – and lessons – of that effort. Today we check in with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) operation. […]

In a two-week period during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Small Business Administration (SBA) processed more total loans than it had in 14 years, according to Melvin Brown II, director of the Enterprise Business Management Office within the agency’s CIO Office.  At the May 13 FCW Workshop on Data and Analytics, Brown shared the data management tips that helped the agency succeed. […]

The data available to those in the Intelligence Community can be likened to water coming from a fire hose. For an IC analyst, the power can be overwhelming, though in order to act effectively, the surge of data must be controlled. […]

Cloud security provider Zscaler announced that its Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) service has achieved the first-ever FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) High Authority designation from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board (JAB) for zero trust remote access service. […]

Republican House leadership has its eye on AI, data privacy, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in its newly released emerging tech agenda. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of American life, but changes to the way students learn and adults work has presented unique challenges to the U.S. broadband network. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) revealed a new human-centered design for its Cloud Information Center (CIC) on May 13, in accordance with web design guidelines in the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.  […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a cloud-based solution to improve its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Management Information System, according to a May 12 request for information (RFI). […]

Sorting through the plethora of rules, regulations, and laws, which apply to the cyber domain can be daunting. The United Nations has designated two groups with the task. Are you wondering how to keep up? […]

The latest COVID-19 relief legislation being prepared by House Democrats – the HEROES Act – proposes $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to help Federal agencies improve their information technology systems. […]

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting significant financial pressure on states nationwide, Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., introduced the Secure Our Elections Act to eliminate a requirement for states to match a portion of Federal funding received for election security.   […]

The Government Accountability Office said in a new report that it has 11 open recommendations to the Defense Department (DoD), among a total of 1,106 outstanding open recommendations to the agency. […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent provided several examples today of different ways that Federal agencies are using data in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus, and emphasized the critical importance of IT modernization in battling the pandemic. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released two supply chain risk management (SCRM) products on May 6 to help businesses and organizations boost supply chain security. […]

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is advancing Federally-funded research on COVID-19 including research using supercomputers to run simulations. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) is seeking better data management for AI-based predictive maintenance on aircrafts, according to a May 7 request for information (RFI). […]

While the fight regarding the JEDI cloud computing contract between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Pentagon drags on, AWS is partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) in another capacity – the department’s cybersecurity standard for contractors. […]

In a request for information (RFI), the U.S. Navy is seeking technologies to assist IT staff in correcting technical issues in data centers in enterprise networks. “The United States Navy is assessing the global impact of transformative technologies that enable IT professionals to perform at an expert level despite not having sufficient IT staff with […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has had a 900 percent increase in the use of Teams, Microsoft’s collaboration platform, and a 483 percent increase in the use of virtual private networks during the COVID-19 pandemic, a DHS official said. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued guidance on coronavirus-related disinformation in a new advisory to the private sector. The CISA Insight, “COVID-19 Disinformation Activity,” provides guidance on how to “deter false information and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19.” It will help users to fact-check information, minimize risk of […]

Most businesses are not providing additional security training during the COVID-19 pandemic despite greater numbers of employees teleworking, cybersecurity services provider CrowdStrike said this week. […]

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Information Management and Technology (OIMT) became the latest agency to partner with the General Services Administration (GSA) on a Centers of Excellence (CoE) initiative on May 7 to boost the agency’s technology modernization efforts. […]

As the conversation around DevOps, DevSecOps, and Agile continue to grow in government, agencies are flush with resources to aid in the development and deployment of software products that are both modern and secure. […]

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued to harness innovation for diagnostics, treatment, and prevention and have launched the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) last week, as a national initiative for COVID-19 diagnostics. […]

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai called telehealth investments and advancements the “silver lining” of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic at a May 6 Brookings Institution webinar. […]

Two public health experts testified that contact tracing and other data collection are vital to the U.S. COVID-19 response during a May 6 hearing by the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. […]

A bipartisan group of legislators introduced the Universal Broadband Act to improve access to broadband services by requiring companies to contribute to a fund, currently used only by telephone companies. […]

Over 30 technology companies, including Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Verizon, formed a coalition to promote policies for openness and interoperability in a key part of the architecture used by mobile devices, particularly for 5G use. […]

Cloud-based platform provider Domo has deployed the considerable weight of its technology arsenal to help three state governments battle the coronavirus pandemic and pave the way toward faster recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. […]

As the meaning of the term “cyber” shifts and expands within the intelligence community to include influence operations, officials are turning to data analysis tools to address the changing threat landscape, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said at the May 5 FedInsider webinar. […]