MeriTalk compiles a weekly roundup of contracts and other industry activity. Here’s what happened this week in the Federal Information Technology community.
FTC Plans Identity Theft Conference
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold a conference, Planning for the Future, focusing on the state of identity theft now and how it may evolve in the future. The May 24, 2017, event will look at the full life cycle of identity theft–addressing how identity thieves acquire consumers’ information, what information they seek most often, and the cost/ease in which consumers’ data can be acquired. For more information on the conference, check out the press release.
Sunlight Foundation Turns Over Control of Data Tools
ProPublica and The Marshall Project are taking over control of five data tools that were controlled by the Sunlight Foundation because it can’t afford to maintain them. The five tools deal with Federal data, including Politiwoops, which tracks deleted tweets from politicians. ProPublica will assume control over the five tools immediately, according to deputy managing editor Scott Klein. Other data tools from the Sunlight Foundation are being handed over to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Department of Commerce, and Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
Customs and Border Protection Awards Screening System Contract
OSI Systems announced that its newly acquired business, American Science and Engineering (AS&E), was awarded a contract from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Oct. 25. Under the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, AS&E will provide vehicle screening systems, as well as maintenance and training services. The five-year contract is valued up to $76 million.
FedRAMP Updates its Inventory Template
FedRAMP released an updated version of its Inventory Template, which is designed to reduce data redundancy across cloud system inventory information. Previously, this information was kept in different parts of the System Security Plan (SSP), Security Assessment Plan (SAP), Security Assessment Report (SAR), Contingency Plan, and the Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) templates. The new version has merged repetitive fields in forms, deleted low value fields, and provided greater guidance and examples.
VMware’s AirWatch Receives FedRAMP ATO
VMware received a FedRAMP authority to operate (ATO) certification through the U.S. Census Bureau for its AirWatch enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution for the cloud. The service is designed to enable Federal agencies to manage, secure, remotely deliver apps, and protect devices using a wide variety of operating systems. “Earning the FedRAMP Authority to Operate is a major win for Federal organizations seeking to deploy a digital workspace strategy in the cloud,” said William J. Rowan, vice president of Federal Sales for the U.S. Public Sector at VMware. “Agencies that want to leverage the benefits of a cloud-based solution to secure and manage their mobile devices and applications can now use VMware AirWatch, the leader in enterprise mobility management, with a service that complies with the NIST Cyber Security framework.”