Tag Archives: DC

Shaping the Federal Workforce of the Future

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As the federal government continues to reshape the size and mission of government agencies, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and HR functions within agencies are reimagining how to manage the work of government.

Governmentwide Human Capital Management

With an eye toward efficiency, the OPM is looking for a way to streamline the management of human capital functions. The OPM estimates the federal government runs at least 119 human capital-management systems. These systems have limited interoperability, making it hard to get a full picture of the talent within the federal government. According to OPM Director Scott Kupor, the 44,000 HR professionals employed in government have to navigate "outdated and duplicative technology systems" as they look to build a workforce of the future.

The agency recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a single governmentwide human capital management (HCM) system. This system would be a single source of information on job titles, salaries, benefits, and employment histories, enabling full visibility into the federal workforce. With this visibility, hiring processes across agencies could be more consistent and streamlined. This change could also enable workers to more easily move between agencies into roles that are a match for their talent and goals, building a more flexible career path within government. Continue reading →

Our Autonomous Future Starts Now

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The autonomous future imagined by The Jetsons, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Back to the Future Part II may not yet be a reality, but a perfect storm of technological innovation is moving us closer. Drones, autonomous robots, and self-driving cars all rely on a complex web of technology to perform as programmed. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G availability are enabling autonomous devices to be more, well...autonomous.

Device autonomy is a spectrum. Basic autonomy could look like the end result of setting a flight path for a drone and then initiating an unmanned flight. More complex autonomy could resemble giving a drone parameters such as, "here's the data we want to capture" and the device then designing the tactics, flight path, and timing needed to meet that goal. The wide rollout of 5G provides infrastructure that can handle the high data volumes and speed required by autonomous devices and missions, while AI advances are allowing machines to engage in more advanced and proactive decision-making.

While the reality of autonomy will look different than what Hollywood visionaries depicted, its impact will be just as exciting as any blockbuster. Autonomous systems will be a critical part of realizing a number of key government goals. Continue reading →

Goodbye RMF, Hello CSRMC

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The Risk Management Framework (RMF) was introduced in 2022 to create a standardized way to measure and manage cybersecurity risk in the federal government. Modeled with standards including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act and NIST Special Publication 800-53, the RMF was a repeatable, structured method to manage cybersecurity risk and ensure compliance with federal standards. The RMF allowed agencies to identify, understand, prioritize, and reduce risks to their information systems and missions. It informed leaders of security risks, allowing them to make educated decisions about trade-offs between security and mission needs.

While it was designed to be more than a checklist, in practice the RMF had become just that. Rather than engaging with it dynamically, agencies employed highly manual processes that slowed the adoption of much-needed solutions. The process could not keep up with the quickly evolving threat landscape. Continue reading →

FedRAMP 20x Keeps Government Cloud Use Moving

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Earlier this year, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced a significant update to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). Named FedRAMP 20x, the focus of this initiative is on introducing automation to increase the pace of authorizations.

The Phase One pilot of this effort trialed a new approach to FedRAMP Low authorization. This automated process focused on Key Security Indicators (KSIs) rather than the traditional NIST SP 800-53 narrative control set. Vendors meeting the KPIs were granted a 12-month FedRAMP Low authorization. Using this process, the first FedRAMP authorizations were issued in just four months.

The GSA is now kicking off Phase Two, which will look at granting FedRAMP Moderate authorizations. Participation in this pilot is by invitation only, in order to ensure the small FedRAMP staff concentrates efforts on participants that are well-positioned to achieve Moderate authorization. The focus of this phase, "quality, not quantity,"-- is aimed at fine-tuning automated processes, with a target of 10 approved solutions. Continue reading →

Making Sure Data Centers are Good Neighbors

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a huge impact on how states and cities deliver services and manage communities. The computing power needed to support this technology requires the construction and management of a multitude of new data centers. This infrastructure has proven to be both a blessing and a curse for localities.

Data centers can transform the economics of a region, bringing a host of benefits to communities including job creation, tax revenue, and infrastructure upgrades, including investments in clean energy. Additionally, areas with data centers tend to attract companies building technology hubs that provide additional highly paid and highly skilled jobs. Continue reading →