The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Workforce, Cybersecurity, PMA Agenda, and More in Federal Agencies
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.
White House Formalizes 2.7% Pay Raise
President Biden released an executive order on Wednesday formalizing an average 2.7% pay raise for civilian federal employees under the General Schedule.
DOD Publishes CMMC 2.0 Assessment Guides
The Department of Defense published two detailed guides on how contractors will have their networks inspected to continue earning contracts once new regulations are added to contracting rules. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification assessment guide for level one and two requirements will cover the vast majority of contractors in DOD, with level one being a self-assessment and level two requiring some to get a third-party assessment, according to the documents.
CISA, FBI issue new guidance on addressing Log4j risks
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released a joint advisory with the FBI, NSA and several international agencies offering new ways to respond to the Log4j vulnerability for any public or private entity affected by the widespread security flaw.
White House Releases ‘learning agenda’ Draft for PMA
The White House released a draft of a management-focused learning agenda for the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) on Dec. 21 as part of an effort to spark research in key areas and inform policy with evidence. The administration is also asking for feedback from the public on what questions are being asked.
White House AI Initiative Launches Public Research Support Tools
The National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office opened a new page dedicated to providing AI researchers with sophisticated tools to bolster research projects.
Federal Agencies Enthusiastic but Lagging in Yearly Evaluation Implementation
A report measuring the growth and efficiency of federal agencies’ internal evaluation methods found that despite evaluation officials being adequately equipped and most government offices enthusiastic about evaluation procedures, the implementation of actual results from such processes is broadly lagging.
Silicon Valley Warns the Pentagon: ‘Time is running out’
According to defense leaders who spoke throughout the Reagan National Defense Forum, there is awareness that a put-up-or-shut-up moment is approaching, and in typical Pentagon fashion, there are a million ideas for how best to move forward — without clarity that any of them will actually change anything.
Why Federal Agencies Are Shifting Back to Hyperconverged Infrastructure
IT leaders in the Federal government have recently warmed back up to hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). HCI replaces the traditional, three-tier architecture for computing, storage and networking, and combines all of those elements into a single hardware unit with one virtualized management console.
Deadline extended for Federal 100 nominations!
You now have three extra weeks to finish up and submit your Fed 100 nominations. The new deadline (which was originally set for New Year's Eve) is 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
From the Makpar Blog …
In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:
Makpar Cybersecurity Forum Video Podcast: “What’s My Attack Surface?”
Data, Cybersecurity and Digital Services Next Phase for IRS IT Modernization
FDA Enhancing IT Modernization Efforts with New Office of Digital Transformation
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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
Increasing Federal IT Efficiency: How to Streamline the ATO Process Leveraging DevSecOps
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
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?
Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to Cloud Adoption for Federal Government Agencies
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Federal Agencies, Small/Medium Businesses, and Individuals