FCW Insider: July 21
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Can government get to zero trust?
Today's hybrid infrastructures and highly mobile workforces need the protection zero trust security can provide. Too bad there are obstacles at almost every turn.
Trump to nominate new OPM head
The candidate to serve as the nation's top human resources official has a background in computer science and software development, and a controversial record as a conservative commentator.
DHS pushes toward data center consolidation
The Department of Homeland Security is closing in on a final solicitation for the management of its Mississippi data center, with an eye to supporting cloud and hybrid IT operations.
Spy chief sees 2020 election security as 'number one goal'
Gen. Nakasone's remarks come as a group of former senior officials seek funds to counter the "extraordinary challenges" posed by coronavirus pandemic and foreign interference to state and local election administrators.
Quick Hits
*** The two largest federal employee unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union, announced July 20 their endorsements of Joe Biden for president. The unions opted not to endorse in the primaries – a departure from the 2016 election cycle when both national unions endorsed Hillary Clinton before the primaries were officially underway.
AFGE reported that its members preferred Biden to President Donald Trump by a margin of more than 30 percentage points -- 58.4% to 28%. The union also cited a weighted poll that put Biden up 45 percentage points over Trump.
*** Russell Vought was confirmed by the Senate on July 20 to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget by a vote of 51-45. Vought has led OMB on an acting basis since January 2019, when then-director Mick Mulvaney was tapped to serve as acting White House chief of staff.
*** CORRECTION: An item in the July 20 edition of this newsletter mistakenly identified Ron Pontius as deputy commander for Army Cyber Command. Pontius is a civilian official and serves as deputy to the commanding general, U.S. Army Cyber Command.