Acquisition
A non-traditional IT contractor looks a gift horse in the mouth
Steve Kelman checks in with Agile Six, and that firm's efforts to adapt to labor rates on a major VA contract.
Digital Government
FCW Insider: December 13, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Policy
How the Biden Administration Got Nearly the Entire Federal Workforce Vaccinated
An inside look at the White House's approach to implementing Biden's mandate.
Digital Government
Got Zoom fatigue? Out-of-Sync Brainwaves Could be Another Reason Videoconferencing is Such a Drag
Zoom calls may make your brain work differently.
People
What’s next for security clearance reform?
Expect new milestones from the DOD’s governmentwide vetting IT and new policies on vetting criteria in 2022.
Modernization
Grady talks spectrum, cyber concerns in nomination hearing
Adm. Christopher Grady told senators that Defense Department moves to free up swaths of spectrum would have consequences when it comes to operations, training, and readiness.
Cybersecurity
U.S. Announces Work Toward Non-Binding Agreement on Surveillance Tech
Key U.S. allies supported the effort but did not sign on to a joint statement committing to the creation of a code of conduct on how to exercise export controls to curb the use of the cyber intrusion technologies by authoritarian regimes, according to a White House release.
Digital Government
NDAA Inclusions Prioritize Pentagon Emerging Technology Pursuits
The legislation’s inclusions would mandate new investments across AI, quantum information science, biotechnology and more.
Cybersecurity
Increased Interconnectivity Demands Stronger Federal Data Protection Protocols, Officials Say
Officials in the public and private sectors warned of the need to enact a robust cybersecurity posture at the federal level ahead of growing ransomware and hacking threats.
People
Top House Republican pushes back on government telework
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) isn’t the only Republican lawmaker asking questions about the productivity of teleworking federal employees.
Modernization
What Lies Ahead for Federal IT Modernization
Industry is already making the tools many agencies need to modernize.
Digital Government
Lawsuit Challenges Biden’s Contractor Minimum Wage Regulation
The rule is “an executive power grab to force a social agenda through federal contractors,” said the legal team.
Ideas
What Agencies Need to Do to Combat Shadow IT Driven by Cloud Sprawl
Cloud sprawl happens when development teams spin up new cloud resources, forget about them, then move on to the next urgent task.
Digital Government
FCW Insider: December 10, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Digital Government
Social Security Enjoys Broad Customer Satisfaction As It Overhauls Telephone System
The Social Security Administration has been angling to streamline and automate its call center for quicker customer service.
Emerging Tech
Defense Spending Bill Contains ‘Most Significant’ UFO Legislation Since 1960s
The legislation calls for details on reported health issues connected to UAP sightings, ‘transmedium objects,’ those that hover near military nuclear sites—and more.
Digital Government
GAO: Pentagon Needs Goals to Improve CMMC Framework
The watchdog made several recommendations in an audit of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification effort.
Cybersecurity
NIST Outlines Request for Information Toward a New Cybersecurity Framework
The update will include a focus on supply chains for both hardware and software.
People
Vaccination rates tick up slightly among federal employees
The number of vaccinated feds has increased, although there are still thousands of pending exception and extension requests to the mandate.
Digital Government