FITARA’s Sweet 16 Shows One-Third of Agencies Making Gains in Modernization

Since 2015 the government has bi-annually taken the pulse of IT modernization efforts with the FITARA scorecard. Created as part of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), the scorecard provides a glance at how agencies are managing seven key IT activities:

• Agency CIO authority enhancements
• Transparency and risk management
• Portfolio review savings
• Data center consolidation
• Modernizing government technology (MGT)
• Cyber
• Transition off Networx contract

The latest report unveiled at a roundtable event rather than the traditional hearing, showed three agencies achieving As, 16 Bs, and five Cs. Education and Labor received their first overall A score, joining the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had previously scored an A. Of those Bs, six were improvements from Cs - Agriculture, Energy, Homeland Security and Interior, Office of Personnel Management, and Social Security Administration.

Understanding FITARA Success

The area that contributed the most to improved scores was the ability of agencies to transition to the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract from the legacy Networx contract. This was a new category on FITARA 15 and only five agencies received passing grades. In this latest scorecard, 10 agencies received passing grades, meaning they have disconnected at least 95% of their legacy Networx circuits as of Aug. 31.

The Future of FITARA

Just like a teenager turning 16, this version of the report is at a crossroads. While there have been updates along the way, a major shift to meet current modernization goals, particularly in the area of cybersecurity, needs to happen. Just as one advances in school, the requirements should become more intense, forcing more effort to see improvement.

This scorecard previewed two future categories - one for cloud and one for CIO reporting structure, budget, and acquisitions. On the cloud front, the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, which oversees FITARA, will look to measure the implementation of FedRAMP. Similarly, the group is looking at how to measure cybersecurity efforts to ensure progress is being made in line with cybersecurity executive orders.

Resources and events on GovEvents and GovWhitepapers can help agencies push their modernization efforts forward, meeting current and future FITARA measurements.

• Transform Ideas into Innovation Faster (October 24, 2023; Washington, DC) - This event brings together emerging trends, cutting-edge technologies, and dynamic speakers to highlight the concrete ways organizations are transforming.
• Imagine Nation ELC 2023 (October 29-31, 2023; Hershey, PA) - The government technology community comes together to discuss the issues facing government and develop practical solutions and innovative strategies.
• Looking Ahead to the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (November 8, 2023; webcast) - This event will discuss the top trends that emerged during the 2023 Government Security Solutions Forum, uncovering how organizations can prepare for the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan.
• Three Actions Driving Cybersecurity Modernization (white paper) - This publication discusses three actions, including how to detect and analyze cyber threats, the Software Bill of Materials, and non-technical ways to mitigate cyber risks.
• Adapting to Change: Evolving Government in the Digital Age (white paper) - This paper details a roundtable discussion between panelists representing various federal agencies discussing the opportunities and challenges facing government agencies in the current era of transformation.
• Innovation and Digital Transformation (white paper) - While the term "digital transformation" is meant to spur change, learn why Federal agencies are seeing that change play out at different speeds and in different ways across the organization.

Find more government modernization insight and resources on GovEvents and GovWhitePapers.