It’s time to flip the paradigm…and see IT security teams and protocols as the “cloud accelerators” they are. Progressive security teams see the possibilities, but they need the right strategies, processes, and tools in place to make it happen. A zero-trust mindset is critical, but agencies also need a modern secure operations center (SOC) that acts as a security force multiplier. It’s a central command center tha...

Cyber Smoke was founded in 2011 by six industry and government professionals for the sole purpose of collaborating on cyber security at the Department of Homeland Security. Ten years later, it is still the most talked about and widely attended networking event in the Federal market. While it was stubbed out for much of 2020 as the pandemic took its toll on in-person events, we are excited to announce the return of MeriTalk’s Cyber Smoke....

The Biden administration’s executive order on cybersecurity takes an ambitious swing at forcing improvements to cybersecurity nationwide – and issues authoritative directions to Federal agencies to modernize IT infrastructure and security concepts and practices. Agencies are tasked to meet aggressive timeframes for moving to cloud, adopting Zero Trust architecture, improving software supply chain security, and more. Some are well o...

The rapid shift to remote work in 2020 resulted in new security and IT priorities, and an unprecedented increase in complexity and visibility challenges. A recent survey of global IT and cybersecurity professionals looked at the impact of those changes and discovered a reported rise in IT, device, and security complexity – and widening visibility gaps. As agencies plan for employees to return to the office, either full-time or part-time,...

The SolarWinds breach sent shockwaves through the Federal government, and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program was front and center. CDM stakeholders, according to MeriTalk’s recent research, say the SolarWinds hack boosted CDM’s importance. But, cyber pros also assert that it’s time for a post-SolarWinds makeover. There’s strong consensus for change, with...

CDM is the Federal civilian government’s frontline program to protect against and mitigate cyber-attacks. But security deployments often take years to complete, and in the wake of increasingly high-profile hacks that are thwarting top-notch defenses, time is ticking to meet the challenge. How is the CDM program working with agencies to accelerate the path to better security? And how should agencies engage the CDM program to inoculate aga...

Over the last year, we’ve learned the importance of rigorous hand washing and proper mask-wearing to protect ourselves and others. So, how can the Federal government apply stringent cyber hygiene to protect critical data? Recently implemented DoD certifications and programs, like CMMC and CSfC, offer a roadmap. Why are these programs so important, and how might we translate their risk-reduction strategies to Federal civilian data complia...

Government organizations are drowning under massive waves of data. It’s time to learn how data lakes can keep your agency afloat. In this course, we will explore everything related to data lakes, including what they can do, what role the cloud plays, and what insights you can gain from them. Learn how to successfully deploy data lakes for mission success by securing senior leadership buy-in, setting measurable outcomes, and determining i...

To innovate faster, you need the right tools to unlock the ability to adapt and scale quickly. Most importantly, you need the right security levels to get there. Throughout this course, we’ll talk about the benefits and capabilities of DevOps, as well as how to appropriately integrate security into DevOps to fuel innovation. We’ll complete the course by featuring the baked-in security controls available on AWS and highlight the key...

We’re innovating fast. We’re working from anywhere. Together, we’re building the future – a people-centric, efficient, and resilient government. Join us at the virtual 2021 ServiceNow Federal Forum on March 9-10 to explore how Federal leaders are creating modern, automated, digital workflows. Together, we’re delivering exceptional employee and citizen experiences. The goal: empower agencies to scale services on de...