People
Few agencies sought Schedule F conversions
In the waning days of the Trump administration, only a relative handful out of hundreds of eligible agencies and department responded to an executive order that looked to reclassify vast swathes of the federal civil service as at-will employees.
Ideas
The Cybersecurity Executive Order Is a Missed Opportunity
This executive order is designed to strengthen federal cybersecurity, not that of the private sector, including critical infrastructure providers.
Digital Government
Vaccinated Individuals No Longer Need Masks in Federal Buildings
The Office of Management and Budget informed agencies following a change in public health guidance.
Podcasts
Critical Update: Do You Know What’s In Your Software?
In the wake of several major cybersecurity incidents, the government wants to shore up its software supply chain. Two experts explain the merits of some approaches and why there’s no silver bullet.
Cybersecurity
Leveraging the TMF for the secure modernization of high value assets
Prioritizing Technology Modernization Fund dollars for systems that support high-impact programs can drive major improvements in how IT supports key government missions.
Digital Government
FCW Insider: May 18, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Digital Government
3 Cabinet Secretaries on How Their Experiences Inform Their Leadership and Pandemic Response
Marcia Fudge, Jennifer Granholm and Gina Raimondo said they all had to staff up when they started running their agencies — but that it gave them a chance to diversify.
Artificial Intelligence
Senate Bills Aim to Grow Federal Tech-Ready Workforce—and the Government’s Transparency About its AI Use
Lawmakers moved to operationalize suggestions made by a Congressionally-mandated AI commission.
Modernization
If the Pentagon Drops JEDI, Then What?
Defense Department officials say the contract’s enterprisewide capabilities are still needed, but how to fill that need may be different given the department’s changing cloud landscape.
Cybersecurity
Pipeline Security Act Reintroduced in House
More than a dozen lawmakers have cosponsored the legislation following the Colonial Pipeline attack.
Digital Government
DOD Lifts Mask Mandate for Fully Vaccinated Personnel
Fully vaccinated DOD personnel are no longer required to wear a mask at Defense Department facilities.
Cybersecurity
Can NTSB-style oversight work for cybersecurity?
President Joe Biden's new cybersecurity executive order calls for a safety review board to examine the attack against SolarWinds as well as other significant cybersecurity incidents moving forward.
Digital Government
FAA Knows It Needs More Tech Experts, Just Not How Many
The Federal Aviation Administration needs IT experts, as well as specialists in emerging technologies like drones and 3-D printing, but doesn’t have hard, quantitative data on those workforce gaps.
Cybersecurity
Watchdog: 'Uncertainty' may undermine CBP's enforcement of social media policy
The Office of Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security found divisions among senior Customs and Border Protection officials about the agency's social media posting policies.
Ideas
Zero Trust or Bust
One primary consideration should drive implementation: who gets to see what content?
Digital Government
Will COVID Vaccines Be Required for Federal Contractors, and How Would a Mandate Be Enforced?
Increased vaccination rates and more people returning to the workplace raise these questions.
Ideas
To Navigate the Dangers of the Web, You Need Critical Thinking – but also Critical Ignoring
Learning to ignore information is not something taught in school.
Acquisition
Nominations now open for 2021 Rising Stars
Help us identify the early-career innovators and change agents in government IT.
Digital Government