People

VA vaccine distribution will require 'Herculean effort,' says VA official

The agency is preparing to receive initial shipments of vaccines, but getting it to rural areas of the country will be a challenge.

Modernization

Pandemic spotlights the promise and weakness of government tech

Governments should not aim for "a return to the technology status quo before the pandemic," according to a new white paper by Microsoft and the Partnership for Public Service.

Cybersecurity

CISA doesn't plan to tackle COVID vaccine disinformation

CISA’s acting director Brandon Wales said his agency is not the right source to counter anticipated disinformation about coronavirus vaccines.

Cybersecurity

COVID prompts USCIS' pivot to video

Social distancing requirements under the pandemic led to the acceleration of a modernization plan that included adding video feeds to the asylum interview process.

Modernization

How COVID-19 accelerated IT modernization

As previous IT investments proved their worth in 2020, the pandemic is prompting agencies to accelerate their modernization efforts

Acquisition

DISA refreshes strategic plan for 2022

The Defense Information Systems Agency has refreshed its three-year strategy to better emphasize cyber defense and role of enterprise services.

Cybersecurity

What it takes to future-proof federal IT supply chains

We have now advanced past that initial disruption brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and agencies and organizations should ask themselves: how can we make our supply chains better for the long term, and how do we continue to improve work-from-home security?

People

Pentagon tightens workplace restrictions as COVID cases spike

The increase of coronavirus cases in the Washington, D.C. region preceded the Pentagon’s decision to revert to stricter workplace protocols.

Cybersecurity

Peters calls on White House to protect health care systems from cyber threats

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is asking the White House to take more aggressive actions to shield the country's health care systems from state-sponsored cyber threats.

Acquisition

Tech experts call on feds to coordinate benefits solutions

With surges in unemployment insurance applications straining legacy IT systems at the state level, digital services specialists say that the federal government should take a more central role in fielding tech infrastructure.

Acquisition

DOD, Coast Guard resume MHS Genesis deployment

After a pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Defense Department's commercial health record installation program is back online. The Coast Guard is also transitioning to the new system.

Acquisition

Cyber and AI investments could trend up in defense spending

Investments in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence efforts may increase even with flat defense budgets, but a worsening pandemic could dampen those projections.

Acquisition

COVID-19 made IT modernization a priority

Federal agency mission-oriented responses to COVID-19 have pushed aside lingering doubts about the need to step up IT, a Professional Services Council forecast found.

Digital Government

Leveraging emerging technologies to transform the citizen experience

To effectively deliver a 21st century experience, agencies must prioritize modernizing digital call centers with these emerging technologies.

Acquisition

Making knowledge transfer work virtually

Managers taking over a contract from an incumbent may need to hire new employees, onboard employees from the incumbent company and create cohesive and tight-knit teams – and doing this work in a pandemic environment requires some adjustment.

Modernization

DOD could get permanent telework capability in 2021

The Defense Department wants to convert its key telework tool, the Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR) environment, to a permanent capability by next summer.

Acquisition

Virtual industry days are here to stay

Federal agency virtual industry days are probably now a permanent part of the acquisition toolkit, according to practitioners.

Modernization

A post-COVID IT roadmap

It's time to start talking about the next steps we need to take to ensure that our IT infrastructure and tools can continue to support the remote workers, while providing state-of-the-art, timely customer service

Acquisition

NITAAC CIO-SP4 on track

Despite the pandemic, the next iteration of one of National Institute of Health's Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center's governmentwide contracts is steadily progressing.

Cybersecurity

Automated ATOs and cybersecurity

Software to automate the system authorization process at agencies could work along the same lines as tax filing tools, according to one senior IT advisor at HHS.