As the global pandemic continues and countries wait for a vaccine, estimates about when federal employees will return to their offices in force range from Summer 2021 to Never. Many organizations have discovered the advantages of telework and now plan on expanding its use, even when there is not a snowstorm or health crisis. Although some jobs require on-site personnel, the Office of Personnel Management said that 42% of federal employees are...

In October of 2020, then-Defense Secretary Esper defined defense readiness as "our military’s ability to answer the nation’s call, and to fight and win, anytime, anywhere. … The question we must answer is this: if called upon to fight tonight, are we ready?" Ensuring that answer is "yes" demands change in every corner of the Department of Defense, and especially in the technology that will power tomorrow's military. Cybersec...

Whether it's delivering better care for veterans, transforming internal business processes to make federal employees more effective and efficient, or improving the citizen experience on federal websites, digital government aims to enable better government. New tools and technologies are an essential part of these efforts, but the true transformation takes place in the analog world -- rethinking business processes, changing the workplace cultur...

The federal government has been working to update its policies, architectures and frameworks around digital identity for some time. OMB revised its Identity Credential and Access Management guide in May of 2019 and that National Institute for Standards and Technology has been working on an updated version of its guidance on security and privacy controls for information systems. Then, the pandemic hit, and all programs went into overdrive as ag...

IT modernization has been a federal priority for years, but many agencies still struggle to turn that goal into a practical plan of action. Securing multi-year funding is one challenge, but the fundamental obstacle is often the sheer complexity of transforming government-scale systems. Smart, successful modernization demands a holistic approach that addresses several essential pillars: security, network infrastructure, multi-cloud architecture...

DOD put into effect at the end of Nov. 2020 a new DFARS rule that requires Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for all DOD contractors. Although anticipated for some time, questions remain about the certification process and the scope. The rule requires that contractors register on the Supplier Performance Risk System, produce and maintain a System Security Plan and a Plan of Actions and Milestones. In addition, each company is r...

Most government agencies have made the journey to cloud since the Cloud First and Cloud Smart strategies came from OMB starting in 2010. Many organizations have more than one cloud. The challenge becomes blending the different types of cloud and service models to provide access to needed data, while at the same time protecting a much enlarged attack surface created by the large number of workers who are accessing the data remotely. If there is...

The global information technology supply chain has been hit with a growing and unprecedented number of attacks as adversaries attempt to compromise systems with various forms of malware in an attempt to steal or compromise or hold for ransom sensitive information. Federal executives realized how complex the question of supply chain security was in 2017 when officials tried to implement the Department of Homeland Security’s order to remov...

The 2020 election has ushered in a new president but we still face a very divided government. How will this impact the priorities and policies of the Biden Administration? No matter what, the transition to a new president will have a profound impact on outlook for government contracts in 2021 and beyond. Many top-line priorities will remain the same – a focus on COVID-19, cybersecurity, IT modernization and other technology driven initia...

The federal government is fast approaching the midway point in its push for the fully electronic recordkeeping mandated by M-19-21. And while most agencies have made significant progress in identifying the myriad systems business processes that must change, translating those assessments into action remains a daunting challenge. This year's COVID-19 crisis, continued churn at the executive level and the uncertainty surrounding FY 2021 funding h...