Author Archive
Aaron Boyd
Senior Editor, Nextgov

Aaron Boyd is an award-winning journalist currently serving as senior editor for technology and events at Nextgov. He primarily covers federal government IT contracting and cybersecurity issues affecting both civilian and defense agencies. As a lifelong nerd and policy wonk, he feels right at home covering the intersection of technology and policy in the nation's capital.
Emerging Tech
White House Wants Input on Crypto Tech R&D Agenda
The feedback will inform priorities for developing digital asset technologies, including potential for a central bank digital currency.
- By Aaron Boyd
CXO Briefing
NIST Needs Lawyers to Help Administer $50B in CHIPS Act Funds
The agency is charged with issuing grants and loans, in addition to setting up new research institutes, and needs up to $10 million in legal advice.
- By Aaron Boyd
Data
DARPA Wants a Plan to Stave Off Unknown Food Crises
Under the new Foundational Security for Food Systems project, researchers will look at identifying large-scale crop diseases before a catastrophic crop failure—even for pathogens of unknown origins.
- By Aaron Boyd
Cybersecurity
Hackers to Get a Crack at Systems Running the Pentagon in New Bug Bounty
Hack the Pentagon 3.0 will focus on the operational technologies within Defense Department headquarters.
- By Aaron Boyd
IT Modernization
CISA to Hold Virtual Meeting on $200M IT Support Contract
Eligible vendors can find a sources sought notice on GSA’s eBuy ahead of the pre-solicitation conference to be held later this month.
- By Aaron Boyd
Data
New Records Rules Require Agencies to Save Chats and Texts
Previous records retention rules only explicitly applied to email communications. Now that has expanded to all pertinent electronic messages.
- By Aaron Boyd
Cybersecurity
NARA to Publish First Update to Cybersecurity Records Rules Since 2014
The agency is issuing an update to the General Records Schedule, including new rules for packet capture and cybersecurity incident logs.
- By Aaron Boyd
Cybersecurity
Next Clean Energy Cyber Cohort Will Focus on Identifying Rogue Assets
The Energy Department’s Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator matches innovators in critical infrastructure cybersecurity with industry experts and a high-tech testbed.
- By Aaron Boyd
Emerging Tech
Air Force Wants to Add Facial Recognition to Automated Base Entrance
Scott Air Force Base is looking for verification and identification algorithms for a facial recognition pilot.
- By Aaron Boyd
IT Modernization
Defense Logistics Agency to Shift Warehouse Management to Commercial Software
The agency wants to modernize its distribution and warehouse management systems but says it can’t do that with 20-year-old government-built technology.
- By Aaron Boyd
Data
NASA Science Directorate Wants Help Prioritizing What Digital Resources It Should Open-Source First
NASA Science Mission Directorate wants to know what data, software and computing resources the public research community wants access to the most.
- By Aaron Boyd
CXO Briefing
2022 Year in Review: The Interviews
Five of our favorite recorded interviews from the year.
- By Aaron Boyd
CXO Briefing
2022 Year in Review: Critical Update
Nextgov’s favorite episodes from the final year of the Critical Update podcast.
- By Aaron Boyd
Podcasts
Critical Update: A Technical Farewell and the ‘Emergiest’ News of 2022
Nextgov reporters say goodbye to 2022 … and to Critical Update.
- By Aaron Boyd
News
GSA’s Tech Shops Face $30M Deficit After Priority Change Last Year
The Technology Transformation Services dropped its long-standing cost-recovery goal last year in favor of better program delivery.
- By Aaron Boyd
Podcasts
Critical Update: How NASA Might One Day Send Humans Into Outer Space
NASA futurist Michael LaPointe joins the podcast to talk about what it will take—in technology, time and treasure—to get a human out of our solar system.
- By Aaron Boyd
Emerging Tech
FTC Considering New Data Privacy Regulations That Go Beyond Asking Users for Consent
Commissioners are split on whether new regulations—and even the act of gathering information on a proposed new regulation—is the right way forward.
- By Aaron Boyd
Emerging Tech
Trade Agency Wants To Know Where US Stands in Global AI Marketplace
The government wants to learn more about international regulations that would prevent U.S. companies from selling AI technologies abroad.
- By Aaron Boyd
News
Legal Defense Fund Launched for Former SBA CIO
The fund has raised over $25,000 as of Aug. 1.
- By Aaron Boyd
IT Modernization
CBP Built and Deployed an In-House Electronic Health Record System in Under 2 Years
Medical service contractors working for the Customs and Border Protection are using an agency app to record migrants’ medical information instead of just writing it down.
- By Aaron Boyd