The Fed Mission Success Round Up: CMMC, New Tech Nominees, US Digital Corps and More in Federal Agencies

Monday September 20, 2021

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers. 

Nominations for the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee Are Flowing In

The Commerce Department is actively recruiting candidates to serve on the government’s newly-formed National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, or NAIAC—where they’ll inform President Joe Biden and agencies on issues raised by the emerging technology. 

Auditors, Contractors Hang in the Balance as Defense Overhauls Cybersecurity Certification Program

Hundreds of individuals have paid for their place in line to take an exam that would qualify them to perform cybersecurity assessments of defense contractors that may no longer be necessary after the department reexamines its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

Ellen Lord: ‘Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good’ with CMMC

Former head of acquisition and sustainment for defense Ellen Lord has warned that the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification risks losing momentum if reviews of the program are allowed to drag on for too long.

Biden Names His Pick for Permanent Defense CIO

President Joe Biden nominated the Defense Department’s Acting Chief Information Officer John Sherman—a long-time technology-focused Federal employee who grew up in rural Texas—to serve permanently in that role as the Pentagon’s tech chief.

US Digital Corps Essential for Our Human-Centered, Tech-Enabled Future

The Biden administration’s recent announcement of a new U.S. Digital Corps, a two-year fellowship that creates pathways for talented young technologists to develop careers in public service, is a welcome workforce innovation built on a long American tradition of public service. 

The Growth of milCloud 2.0 Demands a New Monitoring Approach

The addition of Amazon Web Services and VMware to the Defense Department’s milCloud 2.0 contract will make it easier for agencies to transition applications and services to the cloud. However, the acceleration of this effort may bring its own challenges. MilCloud is a substantial operation, with more than 1,200 virtual servers as of early 2021. The addition of AWS and VMware will allow agencies to add to this number, making an already complex service even more challenging to manage.

Cybercriminals Use Pandemic to Attack Schools and Colleges

Cyberattacks have hit schools and colleges harder than any other industry during the pandemic. In 2020, including the costs of downtime, repairs and lost opportunities, the average ransomware attack cost educational institutions $2.73 million. That is $300,000 more than the next-highest sector – distributors and transportation companies.

From the Makpar Blog …

In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:

• A Practical Cloud Migration Guide for Government: How to Eat the "Migration Elephant" One Bite at a Time

• The 5 “Whys” for Stronger Cyber Security Governance at Federal Agencies

• Makpar’s Pragmatic Agile Approach to Developing Its Fraud Detection Analytics Dashboard

• OPINION: Mentor-Protégé Programs Bring Further Value to Government

• PODCAST: A Deeper Look at Makpar’s Fraud Detection Analytics Dashboard

• How Data Virtualization Saves Agencies Significant Resources

• Beyond Passwords: Identity Access Management in the Digital Age

• Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Asian Immigrant Contributions to Tech

• Tips for Remote Agile Scrum Ceremonies: How to Optimize for Success

• Agile Transformation

• Increasing Federal IT Efficiency: How to Streamline the ATO Process Leveraging DevSecOps

• Tackling the Challenges of Big Data for Federal Agencies

• How Agencies Can Score Quick Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) Victories

• PODCAST: How the Federal Government can Overcome Barriers to Agile Transformation

• CIO-SP4 BPA, BIC MAC, and POLARIS Contracts to Drive Further Government Innovation

• Makpar Applauds Appointment of First Native American U.S. Cabinet Member

• The Cybersecurity Framework That Keeps You and Your Family Safe as You Access Your IRS Records for Stimulus Checks

• Data Security Win: Virginia is Second State in U.S. to Pass Data Protection Legislation

• How Decentralized Decision Making Can Help Federal Agencies Adopt a More Agile Practice

• 4 Ways to Migrate a Workload to the Cloud for Federal Government Agencies

• PODCAST: The SolarWinds Breach Points to Need for Cyber Fundamentals

• In Response to The SolarWinds Breach: The Need to Return to Cybersecurity Fundamentals.

• Is the Product Owner the Most Important Role in Government Agile Development?

• Cloud Migration Primer for Federal Agencies

• Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to Cloud Adoption for Federal Government Agencies

• Cybersecurity Best Practices for Federal Agencies, Small/Medium Businesses, and Individuals

Makpar has over a decade of experience providing high-level strategic and project management services, focused on cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies. Please contact us here for more information about how we can enhance mission success for your agency.