Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Federal agencies are required to disclose the information requested under the FOIA, unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. In recent years, federal agencies have been inundated with FOIA requests creating challeng...

The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program is the process government agencies use to move toward fortifying their cybersecurity networks and systems. It was developed in 2012 to support government-wide risk-based cybersecurity solutions to assist participating agencies improve their security posture consistently and cost-effectively. In this virtual workshop, government & industry experts will provide the following: a status u...

Zero Trust is a key component of every federal IT initiative and modernization effort. The Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model, the DISA Zero Trust Architecture, and various NIST guidance all include mission critical elements for zero trust implementation. Although the principals of Zero Trust are widely accepted, the implementation process is a detailed, time-consuming, and agency...

A multi-cloud strategy is the utilization of two or more cloud services from any number of cloud providers that are compatible with and extend an organization’s hybrid cloud environments. It allows agencies to deploy applications on the public and private clouds that best suit agency business objectives and application needs. A multi-cloud platform provides multiple advantages including greater flexibility, more deployment options, secur...

On December 23, 2022, OMB released M-23-07, “Update to Transition to Electronic Records”. Item 1.2 states, “After June 30, 2024, all agencies must transfer permanent records to NARA in electronic formats and with appropriate metadata in accordance with NARA regulations and transfer guidance.” Previously, NARA Bulletin 2018-01 defined and updated the minimum set of meta elements that must accompany transfers of permanent...

On May 4th, NARA released updated regulations on Digitization Standards for Permanent Records – AC 31.2023. The regulations established standards for digitizing permanent paper records and photographic prints. The regulations are in 36 CFR 1236, Subpart E and go into effect on June 5, 2023. NARA will be issuing a new GRS 4.5 that will cover digitizing records – the GRS and new regulations are related. These regulations have a signi...