Rebooting The System: Getting Back on Track After The Shutdown

The impact of the federal government shutdown on agencies’ IT programs could last for a long time. In the short term, the lack of exposure management means IT systems have become vulnerable due to movement within teams, systems coming off and online, and falling behind on software updates and patches, for instance. Meanwhile, hostile parties are increasing their cyber attacks, raising the risk of major breaches.

Other effects, such as modernization projects being slowed or halted, are more intermediate- or long-term, because of funding issues, staff attrition, and disruptions at every step of the supply chain. Costs are likely to increase and work backlogs related to agencies’ missions will grow, increasing the pressure to concentrate more on the mission at hand and less on modernization. And all of these have consequences for the U.S. Industrial Base, the companies that provide critical hardware, software and services to all federal, state, and local agencies.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify criteria and metrics to establish immediate, intermediate and long-term priorities to get projects and programs moving forward
• Evaluate new conditions on the ground vis-à-vis staffing and purchasing capabilities
• Delineate shutdown effects on existing and prospective vendors