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. […]
NARA Opens Doors of Mass Digitalization Center
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has announced the opening of its new mass digitalization center in College Park, Md., which it said will help speed up the digitalization of important government documents like never before. […]
DoD Personnel Sweep President’s Cup Cyber Contest
Individuals and teams from the U.S. military service branches took home top prizes in the fifth annual President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition organized by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CISA announced on April 19. […]
GAO: Policy Concerns Still Loom Over Biometric Identification Tech
The accuracy of biometric identification technologies – such as facial recognition tech – has improved over time, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that more could be done from a policy perspective to ensure the safe use of those kinds of technologies. […]
RSA/MeriTalk Research Shows AI is Strengthening Cyber Defenses
New research from MeriTalk and RSA Conference reveals that while 80 percent of cybersecurity decision-makers say accelerating AI adoption is critical to their organization’s resilience against evolving threats, just 31 percent say their organization is using AI for cybersecurity today. […]
Pentagon Launches DIB Vulnerability Disclosure Program
The Pentagon has launched a new fully operational program that allows independent “ethical hackers” to find and analyze vulnerabilities in military contractor networks with the aim of improving the cybersecurity posture of the defense industrial base (DIB). […]
GAO Prods CISA, OMB to Finish Final Cyber EO Tasks
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling on two Federal agencies in charge of overseeing the implementation of President Biden’s 2021 cybersecurity executive order (EO) to fully complete the remaining five requirements tasked to them in the order. […]
Coast Guard Tech Official Tells RPA Success Stories
Two and a half years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) embarked on a journey to leverage robotic process automation (RPA) technologies to streamline processes, improve workforce performance, and enhance efficiency. […]
Senate AI Action Targets Risks, Private Sector Help
Senate legislative efforts unveiled last week are targeting the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies from markedly different angles – one to prevent against some of the worst-case instances of AI tech deployment, and the other to make sure that Federal AI development efforts leave plenty of room for private sector participation. […]
Commerce Dept. Seeks Input on AI-Ready Open Data Assets
The Department of Commerce (DOC) is looking for input on the development of AI-ready open data assets and data dissemination standards, according to a new request for information (RFI) posted on April 17. […]
FEMA CIO: 60 Percent of Applications Moved to Cloud
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is making progress in its efforts to shift toward further use of cloud-based systems, with 60 percent of its applications now hosted in the cloud, the agency’s top technology official said on April 18. […]
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.