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.
NASA, IBM Plan to Use AI in Climate Change Research
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and computing giant IBM plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) tech to improve climate change research, according to an announcement IBM posted on Feb. 1.
Admiral Chase Details JFHQ-DODIN 2023 Goals
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bill Chase, deputy commander of Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) this week outlined a list of the command’s cybersecurity goals for 2023.
House Oversight Puts COVID Relief Fraud in the Crosshairs
The newly constituted House Committee on Oversight and Accountability dedicated its first hearing of the 118th Congress on Feb. 1 to investigating fraud in the distribution of Federal COVID-19 relief funds, and committee leadership said that focus will continue down the road.
GAO Prods CISA, DoD, OMB on Big-Picture Cyber Work
The Government Accountability Office offered some big-picture marching orders in a new report this week for three Federal agencies with major cybersecurity portfolios to improve how the agencies are undertaking their security missions.
ADI Pitches FCSF Funding to Boost FedRAMP Program
Tech-sector trade group Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) is calling on Federal technology leaders to boost funding for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) through allocations from Federal Citizen Services Fund (FCSF) that is maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA), which also oversees FedRAMP.
DISA Awards $223M EIS Contract to Lumen for Mission-Critical Comms
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded Lumen Technologies a $223 million contract to provide secure, mission-critical communications services to the Department of Defense (DoD).
NSF Switching up CIO Office; Aronson Shifts to Principal Advisor
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is modifying the role of its chief information officer (CIO) and is looking to establish a new office – the Office of Business Information Technology (BIT) Services – that will be led by an individual who will serve as both the CIO and chief technology officer (CTO).
DOT’s Buttigieg: FAA Upgrading Systems, Southwest on Notice
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg said today that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in the middle of upgrading their outdated IT systems following a news-making tech breakdown last month.
PRAC Data Scientists Uncover $5.4 Billion in Potential Loan Fraud
Data scientists working for the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) data scientists said they have identified more than $5.4 billion in potentially fraudulent loans issued under Federal government relief programs that were obtained by crooks using 69,323 stolen or fraudulent Social Security Numbers (SSNs).
House Clears Bill That Would Send Feds Back to the Office
The House voted 221–206 on Feb. 1 to approve legislation that would roll back Federal agency telework policies to their year-end 2019 levels, and require agencies to justify any future changes in telework policies through reporting to Congress.
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.