Government efforts to modernize saw substantial advancements in 2022: An overwhelming 91% of federal IT workers report their agencies have gained ground on digital modernization efforts in the past year, according to a recent survey of federal employees conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of ICF. But while optimistic, these employees say their work is far from done. Just 30% have achieved continuous improvement in their modernization jou...

Phishing continues to be one of the most common internet crimes today, but the stakes have risen enormously as our society has become online-driven. More than 80% of these attacks involve credential misuse in the network. With increased remote workers, users need a seamless mobile device experience to be able to do their jobs. Derived credentials allow agencies to utilize existing investments, adopt modern protocols, and apply phishing-resista...

A focus on strengthening our cybersecurity workforce should be at the forefront of every agencies’ 2023 goals. The cyber workforce must evolve to address the challenges posed by our adversaries and meet strategic mission requirements, while also doing an exemplary job at managing data security. This requires agencies to reshape their understanding of what data security entails and how the future of cyber security must include prioritizin...

As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Congress included $1 billion over the next four years for state, local and tribal governments to strengthen their cybersecurity. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency established the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program to distribute funds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for administration and...

"How can we implement a holistic approach to cybersecurity?" "What methodologies, policies, technologies, and specific tools can we deploy to prevent, detect and monitor cybersecurity threats"? "How can we build a more effective program?" As more data breaches are disclosed, cybersecurity is at the forefront of Boards, executives, employees and consumers. Breaches are a continuing threat to an organization's reputation through the disclosure o...

The state of Texas wants to accelerate the use of next-generation technology to deliver secure digital services. To that end, it has released its 2022-2026 State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management, which sets four overarching goals: Secure IT service delivery Advanced data management Strategic digital transformation Proactive approach to emerging technologies Just as Texas agencies are looking to modernize and transform their...

As the government moves increasingly towards digital infrastructure, geopolitical tensions rise, and individuals access more endpoints from more locations than ever before, a strong cyber posture must be embedded in everything agencies do. Policy guidance such as the cyber executive order, NIST’s updated security risk framework, and the Cyberspace Solarium’s recommendations offer strategic direction while tactical playbooks such as...

SOLVING THE TOUGHEST CLOUD CHALLENGES TOGETHER Federal agencies have invested years incorporating multiple styles of IT architecture to solve financial, mission, and operational challenges. As a result, unifying resources across private and public clouds, simplifying the command and control of IT infrastructure, leveraging AI to seamlessly deliver the right resources where and when they’re needed, and securing the enterprise and its part...

From Cloud First to Cloud Smart policies, cloud computing has underpinned much of government’s IT modernization for the past decade. The importance of cloud adoption took on an increased urgency over the past two years as agencies needed to quickly and securely enable remote work for thousands of employees. Now, as agencies at all stages of their cloud journey develop the next generation of cloud strategy, issues around security, enterpr...

"How can we implement a holistic approach to cybersecurity?" "What methodologies, policies, technologies, and specific tools can we deploy to prevent, detect and monitor cybersecurity threats"? "How can we build a more effective program?" As more data breaches are disclosed, cybersecurity is at the forefront of Boards, executives, employees and consumers. Breaches are a continuing threat to an organization's reputation through the disclosure o...