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.
OSTP Chief: Biden’s AI EO Coming This Fall
The head of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said Thursday that the Biden administration’s artificial intelligence (AI) executive order (EO) will be unveiled this fall.
DoD CIO Sherman Eyes Strong Guidance on Cutting Legacy Tech Debt
Defense Department (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) John Sherman said today that he is considering issuing strong, formal guidance to military service branches to get moving faster on the long-sought goal of reducing technical debt throughout the military and particularly on the IT and cybersecurity fronts.
DoD CDAO Seeks Insight into Risks, Benefits of Gen-AI
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) is seeking industry input into the risks and benefits of generative AI to explore how it could integrate the emerging technology, according to a request for information (RFI).
stackArmor Releases ATO for AI Accelerator
stackArmor, a provider of approval-to-operate (ATO) acceleration services for government organizations, today released its Approval To Operate (ATO) for AI accelerator.
DHS Shutdown Plan Sidelines 79% of CISA Staff
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) parent agency – said yesterday that only 571 of CISA’s 3,117 employees would continue to work through a government shutdown – meaning that 79 percent of the agency’s staff would be staying home until government funding is restored.
Sen. Warner Presses OMB to Evaluate Agency Cyber IoT Policies
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., is calling on the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review all Federal agencies’ cybersecurity policies for internet of things (IoT) devices to ensure they meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines, as required by law.
Fed CDOs: AI, Automation Enabling Data Readiness
Because data is one of the Federal government’s most valuable assets and a major driver for critical decision-making across numerous Federal agencies, several agency chief data officers (CDOs) said this week they have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to power the goals of data analysis and readiness.
Lawmakers Want More Accountability for VA.gov Tech Issues
Members of Congress are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take greater accountability for VA.gov’s recent technical problems that impacted the disability claims of thousands of veterans.
CISA Launches ‘Secure Our World’ PSA Campaign
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is kicking off its public service announcement (PSA) “Secure Our World” campaign that is focused on increasing cybersecurity awareness across government and private entities.
GSA Sets FSCAC Meetings to Develop FedRAMP Recommendations
The General Services Administration (GSA) has set four public meetings of the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee (FSCAC) to develop recommendations on the secure adoption of cloud computing products under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).
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.