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. […]
Appeals Court Halts Judge’s Order for DOGE Records
Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) scored a temporary win last week, with a Federal appeals court sparing them from revealing their spending-cut plans and authority – at least for now. […]
GSA MAS Overhaul Impacts IT Contracting, Adds AI and Cloud Categories
In its Multiple Awards Schedule (MAS) refresh set to take hold next month, the General Services Administration (GSA) is introducing more defined subcategories under information technology contracting. […]
Senate Confirms Lawrence as VA Deputy, EHRM Boss
The Senate has confirmed Paul Lawrence to become the deputy secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), putting him in charge of overseeing the VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. […]
FedRAMP Officials Detail Planned Unwinding of Continuous Monitoring
Officials with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) explained today that the program plans to unwind its historical role of providing continuous monitoring for cloud services authorized by FedRAMP following sharp cuts to the program’s workforce. […]
VA Selects 9 Sites to Deploy Federal EHR System in 2026
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Monday the list of the nine additional VA medical facilities that will deploy the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) system in 2026, with sites located in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Alaska. […]
Hegseth Renews Plans to Shrink DoD Civilian Workforce
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is renewing plans to shrink the Department of Defense’s (DoD) civilian workforce, including reopening of the agency’s early retirement program. […]
White House Taps Karen Evans to Oversee DHS Operations
Federal government cybersecurity veteran Karen Evans has been nominated to serve as the under secretary for management at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). […]
Treasury Dept. Elevates Jeffrey King to Acting CIO
The Treasury Department has elevated Jeffrey King to serve as its acting chief information officer (CIO), according to the department’s website and the CIO Council webpage. […]
Army Cuts $10B Software Development Contract
The U.S. Army has canceled its plans to pursue a $10 billion contract for acquiring rapid software development services, ending further solicitations and awarding no contract. […]
Get Back to Better Security on World BackUp Day
Leading tech companies all around the world are pointing the way toward improving security by implementing the basic tenet of World BackUp Day on March 31: back up your data to better protect against data loss and theft. […]
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.