Modern applications are transforming government agencies. From Artificial Intelligence for better customer engagement, to data analytics for forecasting, the need for accelerated computing is rapidly increasing. But enterprises face challenges with using existing infrastructure to power these applications. By evolving enterprise IT infrastructure into a unified architecture, all applications, modern and traditional, can run optimally on a shar...

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Incident Response and Vulnerability playbook released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in November 2021 lays out a detailed plan for how agencies should implement communication, technology, and policy for Incident response. Forensic collection, preservation, analysis, and reporting are important parts of this playbook. This presentation will discuss the Incident Response playbo...

Executive Order 14028 (Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity) established new requirements to secure the federal government’s software supply chain. The requirements involved systematic reviews, process improvements, and security standards for both software suppliers and developers, in addition to customers who acquire software for the federal government. The software supply chain is only truly secure when all entities throughout t...

Information drives and powers modern government with federal, state, and local agencies seeking to improve engagement opportunities with citizens. The challenge is to effectively manage the explosion of information while also protecting citizen’s data and privacy. Keeping up with the rapid expansion of information has put pressure on outdated governance and compliance practices. The Federal Data Strategy outlined specific actions to be t...

DevSecOps incorporates security initiatives at every stage of the software development life cycle (SDLC). It is a set of practices combining software development, security, and IT operations with the goal of shortening a system’s development life cycle securely. From identifying patterns to uncovering new ways to support the mission, DevSecOps is playing an essential role in government’s digital transformation efforts. This virtual...

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) began in 2011 to ensure the security of cloud services used by the federal government. FedRAMP is a government-wide program providing a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. FedRAMP uses NIST guidelines in its own framework to enable federal agencies to use cloud services securely and efficiently. Th...

On May 4th, NARA released updated regulations on Digitization Standards for Permanent Records – AC 31.2023. The regulations established standards for digitizing permanent paper records and photographic prints. The regulations are in 36 CFR 1236, Subpart E and go into effect on June 5, 2023. NARA will be issuing a new GRS 4.5 that will cover digitizing records – the GRS and new regulations are related. These regulations have a signi...

On December 23, 2022, OMB released M-23-07, “Update to Transition to Electronic Records”. Item 1.2 states, “After June 30, 2024, all agencies must transfer permanent records to NARA in electronic formats and with appropriate metadata in accordance with NARA regulations and transfer guidance.” Previously, NARA Bulletin 2018-01 defined and updated the minimum set of meta elements that must accompany transfers of permanent...

A multi-cloud strategy is the utilization of two or more cloud services from any number of cloud providers that are compatible with and extend an organization’s hybrid cloud environments. It allows agencies to deploy applications on the public and private clouds that best suit agency business objectives and application needs. A multi-cloud platform provides multiple advantages including greater flexibility, more deployment options, secur...

Zero Trust is a key component of every federal IT initiative and modernization effort. The Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model, the DISA Zero Trust Architecture, and various NIST guidance all include mission critical elements for zero trust implementation. Although the principals of Zero Trust are widely accepted, the implementation process is a detailed, time-consuming, and agency...