The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) are prepping Federal agencies to start sending employees back to the office, as outlined in a memo released today. […]
We’re all looking for guidance in these uncertain times. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., will join MeriTalk for an online Town Hall Meeting this Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. to discuss Federal workforce, telework, and IT modernization issues in the COVID-19 pandemic. Connolly will speak to all Federal employees and contractors – so tune in and bring your questions. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is asking Federal agencies to consider reimbursing paid leave to Federal contractors to keep them in position to mobilize in a timely manner, as needed to complete government missions. […]
While the sudden transition to mass telework may have created some initial hurdles for Federal agencies, Federal CIO Suzette Kent said that the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) IT modernization initiatives remain in full swing. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has taken social distancing directives to heart and achieved a 100 percent employee telework rate, the agency told MeriTalk. […]
MeriTalk recently connected with Infoblox’s Ralph Havens, President, Federal, and Chris Usserman, Principal Security Architect, on the current government-wide shift to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. Havens’ expertise lies in DDI, DNS security, and network automation solutions, while Usserman is proficient in cyber and intelligence operations, offering a vast background to discuss the common cybersecurity challenges and solutions happening daily during this time. […]
Several IT trade groups called on House and Senate leadership to boost funding for Federal tech in the next COVID-19 coronavirus relief legislation and speed modernization of government functions “in this new era of remote collaboration.” […]
Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. asked House and Senate leaders to include in the next Federal coronavirus relief bill a lengthy list of protections for the Federal and government contractor workforces, including measures to further promote telework. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) looked into concerns in a recent report about data and technology security in connection with Federal agency telecommunications and call centers contracts where work is performed by subcontractors, and in overseas locations. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) is seeing rapid user ramp-up with its new Commercial Virtual Remote Environment (CVR), launched in late March to accommodate the massive shift to telework caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. […]
With nearly a month of quarantine under our belts, hopefully, everyone has settled into the new normal of teleworking. As our offices have moved into our homes, many have gained some new four-legged coworkers – and we want to see them! […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released interim Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 guidance today focused on the rapid transition to telework as Federal agencies adjust their operations to combat spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. […]
Department of Defense (DoD) CIO Dana Deasy is leading a Telework Readiness Task Force to ease the agency’s transition to telework and improve cybersecurity, DoD spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Carver confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
It’s Day 21 of quarantine (but who’s counting?), and now that we’re about 1,000 Zoom meetings in, we’ve noticed that grooming habits in our Fed IT community have, shall we say, evolved… […]
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., asked Zoom Communications CEO Eric Yuan in an April 6 letter for a detailed accounting of the company’s security and privacy practices following numerous press reports of security complaints about the company’s teleconference services. […]
A coalition of 13 nonprofit organizations announced today the launch of the “Work From Home. Secure Your Business.” campaign. […]
In a report released March 30, security software firm Check Point found that cybercriminals are targeting the video communications platform Zoom. […]
Here’s a quick read on some of the latest COVID-19 developments. […]
If you’ve already plowed your way through Tiger King or season three of Ozark, why not look around the internet for other means of preoccupying your time. […]
Humor is hard to find these days, but cracking a smile now and again is still important to good mental health. […]
The $2 trillion COVID-19 coronavirus relief legislation, passed by the Senate late Wednesday night, includes far reaching Federal agency investments [link to Jordan’s story] to ramp up the government’s response to the pandemic, including funds for IT and telework infrastructure. The Senate legislation still requires approval by the House of Representatives, and President Trump’s signature. […]
Federal agencies and private sector companies alike are doing their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus by switching to telework. For many employees, however, this is an unprecedented change. […]
Stan Lowe, global CISO at Zscaler since 2018, is no stranger to danger when it comes to protecting large enterprise networks both within government and in the private sector. […]