The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Modernization, Acquisition, Cybersecurity, and More in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Fareeha Khan

Monday November 29, 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.

Critical Update: Federal CIO Explains the Tech Side of President’s Management Agenda

The initial vision document for the Biden administration’s President’s Management Agenda included a heavy focus on customer experience and several passing references to technology, all of which support the administration’s broader goals.

White House Releases DEIA Strategic Plan

The White House has released a government-wide strategic plan to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) for the Federal workforce, as required under President Biden’s June 25 DEIA executive order (EO).

CISA Interested in Protective Email Service for .gov Domain

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency wants industry input on a protective email service that would secure the civilian .gov domain from cyberthreats.

Pentagon Considers Incentives to Get Companies to CMMC 2.0 Early

While it could be months or even years before the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is a requirement in defense contracts, Pentagon officials are considering financial rewards and other incentives to get contractors to improve their network defenses before “CMMC 2.0” becomes reality.

Pentagon Officials Rethinking Cyber's Role in National Defense Strategy

Cyber policy lead Mieke Eoyang discussed the Defense Department’s role in the nation’s cybersecurity posture, including in defending elections and countering ransomware attacks.

CISA Needs to Assess Program Effectiveness in Support of Communications Sector

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) needs to assess the effectiveness of its programs and services to support the communications sector – which is critical for U.S. national security.

Top Cyber/IT Amendments to Watch for in FY2022 NDAA

As the Senate returns to work on Nov. 29 with the completion of debate on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at the top of its agenda, lawmakers will be looking to tack on a host of cybersecurity-related amendments to the defense spending bill.

DHS Partners with DOD To Draft 5G Security Evaluation Methodology

The Department of Homeland Security is developing a new security evaluation methodology for fifth-generation wireless technologies, partnering with the Defense Department and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on a process officials say can readily apply to a broad range of federal use cases.

VA’s Struggling Supply Chain Modernization Initiative is Under Review

The Department of Veterans Affairs is reassessing the future of its medical supply chain modernization program, one of several major efforts that Congress fears is teetering on the edge of the abyss.

How Robotic Process and Intelligent Automation Are Altering Government Performance

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Intelligent Automation (also known as cognitive automation) are being deployed in Federal government agencies and starting to alter how they function. This article examines how these tools are being used, what the opportunities and risks are, and how to train the Federal government workforce to utilize new technologies in a responsible manner.

GAO Partially Sustains Bid Protest Over CIO-SP4 Treatment Of Large Business Mentors

The Government Accountability Office has partially sustained a pre-award protest over the CIO-SP4 solicitation in which plaintiffs argued the procurement unfairly disadvantaged large companies in mentor-protégé arrangements.

From the Makpar Blog —
In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:

Fareeha Khan
Previous

Q&A: Introduction to Martin Davis, Senior Solutions Architect at Makpar
Next

The Fed Mission Success News Round Up