New Plan Will Change How Feds Buy IT Spend Tracking Tech
Agencies are directed to use GSA IT Schedule 70, which shortens the procurement cycle and ensures vendor compliance with laws and regulations. Keep Reading
House Passes Shutdown Back Pay for Contractors; Measure Opposed by White House
OMB says legislation "ignores important principles of federal contracting and would lead to increased cost and a significant increase in the risk of fraud." Keep Reading
White House Revises Digital Identity Management with ‘Common Vision’
Agencies' ICAM strategies must shift, the memo said, to "a new model informed by risk management perspectives... and outcomes aligned to agency missions." Keep Reading
Executive Order: All Federal Background Checks Shift from OPM to DoD by Sept. 30
The Defense Security Service (DSS) will be rebranded the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Personnel are expected to be moved from NBIB to DCSA. Keep Reading
Federal Acquisition Security Council to Hold Inaugural Meeting Soon
The Federal Acquisition Security Council looks to develop policy guidance for agencies to use when purchasing IT products from commercial vendors, to avoid supply chain cyber vulnerabilities. Keep Reading
White House Budget Teases Acquisition Modernization Plan, New Federal Data Service
Plan for IT modernization and workforce development includes new agency at Commerce and conducting an overhaul at OPM. Keep Reading
Lawmakers Make Second Bipartisan Push to Elevate Federal IT Official
Under the measure, the federal chief information officer (CIO), who oversees all IT for the federal government and currently reports to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) deputy director, would start reporting directly to the head of OMB. Keep Reading
OMB Director Mulvaney to Serve as Acting White House Chief of Staff
The former congressman has also served a dual role as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for over a year. Keep Reading
GAO: OMB Should Improve Efforts to Support Agencies’ Implementation of FRDAA
While a small number of agencies reported being mature in their implementation of FRDAA activities, most are in the process of developing key fraud risk activities, and others have yet to start developing them. Keep Reading
HSTRisk: A Game Plan to Identify, Protect Information Crown Jewels
The government has to cost-effectively allocate attention and resources to protecting our most critical information assets. Keep Reading
GAO: Departments Need to Improve CIOs’ Review and Approval of IT Budgets
GAO says several departments and component agencies need to address gaps in their IT budgeting policies and procedures, demonstrate implementation of OMB requirements, and establish procedures to ensure IT budgets are informed by reliable cost information. Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: What Have We Done Since the OPM Data Breach and What’s Left to Do?
A security program is an ecosystem. A gap, breach, or betrayal in any one area will have substantial implications. Keep Reading
Cloud First Gets Smart Upgrade to Remove Cyber Policy Barriers, Says OMB
The strategy notes that in order to realize the scalability, stability, security, and speed to market benefits of cloud infrastructure, agencies need to utilize modern agile development skills. Keep Reading
GAO: Actions Needed to Ensure Staff Have Skills to Administer and Oversee Federal Grants
GAO found that sub-agencies at HHS, USDA, and Education vary in following leading training practices for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating their grants training programs. Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: Federal Agencies Must Focus on Integrated Cyber Architecture
With an integrated cyber defense approach, agencies will use any number of best-in-class products – but always with a focus on how those products work in concert. Keep Reading
GAO: Agencies Need to Implement High-Risk Recommendations to Manage Acquisition Operations and Cybersecurity
A GAO report has found that have only implemented 61 percent of the IT-related recommendations made by GAO since 2010, and to better manage acquisition operations and cybersecurity more need to be completed. Keep Reading
GAO: Agencies Report Mixed Progress Toward Achieving Data Center Goals
The 24 agencies reported limited progress against OMB's five data center optimization targets for server utilization and automated monitoring, energy metering, power usage effectiveness, facility utilization, and virtualization. Keep Reading
White House Issues Directive to Update Agency Identification Policies
There has been an increase in cyber attacks that were conducted through hackers gaining access to personal emails or information from federal employees, and the order aims to prevent any more taking place. Keep Reading
President’s Management Agenda Will Leverage Common Contracts to Drive Savings
Category management is a key issue in the agenda, which states that federal government could reduce its $300 billion annual spending on common goods and services by using agency share in contracts. Keep Reading
GAO: Federal Agencies Need to Take More Action to Improve IT Acquisitions
Federal agencies should be reviewing and implementing agencies' IT acquisition plans, as per FITARA guidance, and in January GAO made 39 recommendations to improve this process. Keep Reading
