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. […]
FBI Taps Leatherman to Lead Cyber Division
The FBI has selected Brett Leatherman to become its next assistant director and head of the bureau’s Cyber Division. […]
Space Force Awards $1.2B Missile Tracking System Deal to BAE
The U.S. Space Force has awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 satellites for the second phase of its Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Missile Warning and Tracking program. […]
Commerce Ditches Fiber Focus in BEAD Program Overhaul
The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday unveiled its revamps to the government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, touting a new “tech-neutral” approach and tossing its previous fiber-centric efforts to the curb. […]
White House Order Seeks to Boost Drone Integration, Smooth Military Use
President Donald Trump on June 6 signed an executive order that seeks to expand the approved use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – better known as drone aircraft – in United States airspace, employ AI technologies in reviews of drone applications, and smooth the way for the military to make more extensive use of drone craft. […]
Senate Dems Seek Audit of DOGE Access to SSA Systems
A group of Senate Democrats wants to direct an audit of Social Security Administration (SSA) networks and systems accessed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to identify whether vulnerabilities were left behind from that access. […]
Supreme Court Grants DOGE Access to SSA Data
The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unfettered access to sensitive data held by the Social Security Administration (SSA). […]
White House Tweaks Older Cyber Orders on AI, PQC, Secure Software
President Donald Trump issued an order late Friday that makes modest changes to two cybersecurity executive orders issued by the Biden and Obama administrations, creating new urgency for action on several existing and developing cybersecurity challenges. […]
FEHRM’s Cloud Transition Will Help VA, DoD Boost User Experience
The Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office is moving the Federal EHR to the cloud, a move that the office’s chief technology officer (CTO) said will help agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with their EHR rollout. […]
PRAC: Data Analytics Could Have Prevented $79B COVID Fraud
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) issued a Fraud Prevention Alert this week that argues the Federal government could have saved an estimated $79 billion if it had implemented data analytics to prevent pandemic-related fraud. […]
Patent Office Eyes AI to Slash Application Backlogs
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) said it wants to significantly scale up its use of artificial intelligence in the coming months to streamline support for its patent examination process and reduce wait times on patents and trademarks. […]
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.