Regulating Blockchain’s Promise

Blockchain is proving to be an enabler of secure and transparent government transactions. As with any technology, as it gains traction it also gains scrutiny. Several laws and regulations have been introduced to ensure that risks associated with blockchain are understood and mitigated.

Recently, the Government Accountability Office issued a recommendation that the Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal financial regulators create a formalized coalition to coordinate the identification and addressing of blockchain-related risks. These risks could include security gaps resulting from old software, phishing schemes, speed of networks, and foreign access to sensitive data. Continue reading

Cloud and Government: Have We Finally Made a Love Connection?

The government's relationship with cloud computing has been an evolving affair. Initially, there was skepticism that cloud solutions could not provide the needed security that on-premise systems had been providing. With checks and balances provided by FedRAMP, security concerns were slowly but surely overcome. With the move to more remote work and the demand for digital interaction with citizens, cloud has moved from a novel approach to a necessary part of the Federal IT infrastructure.

Cloud and Security

Initial concerns about the levels of security maintained by cloud providers have proven to be unfounded. Cloud systems are built with security as a top of mind concern by some of the brightest, most experienced cyber experts in the world. No matter how skilled Federal IT teams are, they just cannot build an on-premises system that meets the same rigors. In fact, today cloud security concerns lie with the users of cloud rather than the providers. Continue reading

Event Organizers Must Plan for 2022 Normal, Not 2019 Normal

While COVID-19 cases continue to decline, and states and localities start dropping mask and vaccine mandates it's easy to get our hopes up for a return to "normal." But we've seen this "movie" and now know how quickly things can spike back up to levels impacting public health. In reality, we don't know what normal really is. For the near future, we should expect to see many pandemic precautions remain in place in some form for in-person events for the foreseeable future. This includes sanitization, spacing, masks, and vaccine mandates.

Experience has shown us that careful planning can lead to safe events. The first known omicron case in the U.S. was found in a person that had attended a 53,000-person anime convention in New York. The initial fear was that the event would reveal itself to be a super spreader. The reality showed that was not the case. A CDC study credited good air filtration, widespread vaccination and indoor masking. Events should look to scale these types of efforts to keep attendees healthy even in less contagious environments. Continue reading

Agency Spotlight: Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been in the spotlight like never before with their critical role in managing the pandemic. While there is a lot of work still to be done on that front, other critical efforts are taking place across HHS agencies that will have an incredible impact on the health and well-being of citizens.

Data Sharing

The necessity of sharing data to understand and respond to the pandemic spawned a host of new applications and a new openness to data sharing across HHS as well as governmentwide. The first major HHS data sharing platform was launched in April 2020. Named HHS Protect, this platform provided visibility into more than four billion data elements from 225 sources providing intelligence on rates of infection and hospitalizations. HHS is committed to expanding its use and sharing of data in all areas of its mission with programs including the Data Optimization Initiative, Administration for Children and Families Data Sharing Solutions, and the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). Continue reading

Man or Machine? It Can Be Both

The sci-fi genre is riddled with plots where machines take over the world with disturbing results for humans. In reality, we are seeing machines become a partner rather than an adversary as smart IoT machines are being used by humans to supplement tasks.

Keeping Infrastructure Secure

New York City's Department of Buildings has paired inspectors with drones to conduct enhanced visual reviews of building facades with greater efficiency. Drones are equipped with video cameras, lidar, thermal imaging, photogrammetry and location software to quickly gather a wide variety of information for inspectors to review. In fact, these vehicles can capture images at angles nearly impossible for inspectors to accomplish. The department found that certain physical examinations, such as sounding and probes, still needed to be conducted by qualified professionals for a full inspection but by speeding up other inspections, their personnel are freed up to conduct work that requires human intervention.

Similarly, sensors are being used to alleviate maintenance issues in roadways. Research from Michigan State University showed that sensors embedded to create "smart pavement" could pinpoint areas and time for preventive intervention. Research shows that for every $1 spent on preventive smart pavement maintenance, there is a savings of $4 to $10 on rehabilitation. Continue reading