Executive Order 14028 mandates agencies implement zero trust (ZT) architectures for all cyber networks. Zero trust relies on a full understanding of the cyber attack surface in order to move the boundary closer to the user and secure each component. Afterall, you can’t secure what you don’t know you have. Many agencies are still struggling to answer simple questions: What devices have access to our environments? Is the core softwar...

The Executive Order directing federal agencies to improve customer experiences (CX) and service delivery, issued in December 2021, directs agencies that, “Government must be held accountable for designing and delivering services with a focus on the actual experience of the people whom it is meant to serve. Government must also work to deliver services more equitably and effectively, especially for those who have been historically underse...

The premise of Moore’s law is that the speed and capability of computers can be expected to double every two years. Unspoken but implied is that new technologies will be introduced at a similar clip – along with new, sometimes unforeseen, challenges. Cybersecurity professionals know all about Moore’s law. For instance, the past 18 months has brought artificial intelligence (AI) into the mainstream, introducing plenty of both...

While the IT universe has always been a rapidly evolving environment, it often has changed in an expected way – more speed, more capacity, less latency, for example, building on what came before. Occasionally, however, disruptive new technology or a major strategic shift in thinking is introduced and it takes a long time for the reverberations to be absorbed and the ecosystem to adjust to the new circumstances. Over the past three years,...

From the delivery of healthcare and public benefits to emergency management and national security, incorporating emerging technologies provides opportunities for government at all levels to enhance constituent services and increase engagement more broadly. Leveraging today’s rapidly evolving technology and available tools, government agencies can better distill large amounts of data to derive holistic insights, promptly identify areas fo...

When thinking about the use of artificial intelligence in government, it is important to consider its tactical and strategic impacts, together and separately. While much attention is being paid to ways to harness the power of AI, equally important are questions of safety and transparency, and the balance of collaboration between government and industry to advance strategic leadership in the global AI race. For instance, AI-powered tools can im...

While developments in artificial intelligence may get all the headlines at the moment, it is just one more complication for the ever-evolving cybersecurity field. The Gartner top cybersecurity trends and strategies for 2024 reflect the wide variety of pressures cybersecurity professionals face, including the emergence of generative AI (GenAI) as a mainstream capability, the challenge of managing security risks in a constantly changing threat e...

Fast, reliable, and secure communications is essential to success in the battlespace. The advent of the telegraph was a central part of Civil War strategy and tactics. Introduction of the radio was just as important in World War I, while radar and sonar – other forms of conveying crucial information – played an important role in World War II. Using 5G to facilitate communications in today’s combat settings is just as signific...

Executives in the healthcare industry know they have a problem protecting the identity information of all the moving parts in the U.S. health system – a problem driven home by the $65 million settlement a Pennsylvania provider will pay after it refused to pay more than $5 million to end a ransomware attack, In response, the hackers posted nude photos of patients taken as they underwent treatment. The FBI’s 2023 Internet Crime Repor...

Every year the Partnership for Public Service identifies the best places to work in the federal government, based on a survey of employees. This is why agencies should consider building their employer brand, as a necessary component of recruiting talented new people. Many corporations utilize such a strategy to give themselves a competitive advantage, by emphasizing their values and culture, providing opportunities for career advancement, and...