Ask the CIO

Mark Forman, the former administrator for e-government and IT at OMB and Gloria Parker, a former CIO at HUD, helped author a new white paper from the Partnership for Public Service to further accelerate IT modernization. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Sean Brune, the deputy CIO for IT Modernization at SSA, said IT developers and business leaders are working closer than ever to revamp legacy systems. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Stuart McGuigan, who was the chief information officer at the State Department for the last two years before leaving on Jan. 20, said a recent application summit drew more than 800 attendees from across the department who want to develop new software capabilities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In her first public statements since the Nov. 23 decision to ascertain the election results, Emily Murphy, the GSA administrator, explained her thinking behind the decision and how she prepared for it and dealt with the noise that came from it, as well as her tenure leading the agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not...

Rona Bunn, the acting chief information officer at the International Trade Administration in the Commerce Department, said the launch of a new website is part of how the agency is making interaction with its customers integrated and seamless. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Defense Department is running out of fingers to plug up the ever-increasing amount of cyber threats it faces to its dam. But hiring more people, with more fingers, to block the holes is not the answer either. Jeff Kleck, the director of the cyber portfolio for the Defense Innovation Unit at the Defense Department, said DIU is testing artificial intelligence to keep up with the velocity, volume...

The security operations center (SOC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory thought it knew the online patterns and actions of most of its scientists and employees. Then the pandemic hit and everything was thrown into a tizzy. Kevin Kerr, the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory chief information security officer, said the SOC adjusted in the short term but it needs to be more nimble an...

The Defense Information Systems Agency moved its cloud based internet isolation program into production after testing it out for the last year under a $199 million Other Transaction Agreement. Steve Wallace, the systems innovation scientist at the Defense Information Systems Agency, said the cloud based internet isolation program could be the game changer many have been waiting for in cybersecurit...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is partnering with the Federal Risk Authorization Management Program or FedRAMP to remove some of the arduous parts of the cloud security certification process. Through the development of a common machine-readable language known as the Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL), NIST is bringing automation to the program. David Waltermire,...

Cynthia Mendoza, the intelligence community’s chief architect, said the reference architecture framework is defining consistent, repeatable approaches to ensure security and interoperability among enterprise IT capabilities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Air Force’s initiative to modernize its network didn’t miss a beat over the last few months despite the pandemic and other related challenges. In fact, the Air Force expanded its test of network-as-a-service to move into the early stages of reaching full capacity, Maj. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, the Air Force’s assistant deputy chief information officer for digital transformation, said the service is...

Innovation doesn’t just happen at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division - it’s something that people like Judy Conley and Jessica McElman promote, encourage and demonstrate. Conley, the science and technology coordinator for platform integrity, and McElman, the division head for underwater electromagnetic signatures and technology division, are both finalists for the Women in Technol...

Mark Munsell, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency chief technology officer, said industry, particularly non-traditional companies, should use the tech focus and technology strategy documents as guides for how to help that agency overcome long-standing challenges. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Food and Drug Administration is about a year into its IT modernization strategy that focused on three core elements: A modernized IT infrastructure; the ability to demonstrate capabilities of a modern technology and data organization; and the constant communication with stakeholders and other experts to ensure the technology doesn’t fall behind. In the end, the FDA’s IT modernization strategy...

The Office of Management and Budget has tried at least two other times to get agencies to consolidate and optimize their security operations centers. At some departments, there are eight or 10 SOCs, meaning there is no single pane of glass for the chief information security officer, or the Department of Homeland Security, or OMB to understand what’s really going on. Grant Schneider, the federal CI...

Christie Canaria, the Small Business Innovation Research program director at the National Cancer Institute and a finalist for the Women in Technology leadership award, said her role in helping small business successful navigate the Small Business Innovation Research program depends bring an assortment of ideas to the table. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not...

Nicolas Chaillan, the Air Force’s chief software officer, said the service is testing its cloud native access point approach through Platform One with the F-35 and Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) teams. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

For Suzette Kent, among the biggest frustrations of being federal chief information officer for more than two years was how Congress viewed IT modernization. While a handful of lawmakers understood what it takes to move agencies off legacy systems, Kent said most saw it as a one-year project. Kent, who left her position as federal CIO earlier in July, said changing the funding model for technology...

Ryan Cote, the chief information officer of the Transportation Department, said he shuddered to think what might have happened if not for the previous two years’ worth of work. But it took more than just a modernized network. Cote personally got involved in nearly every aspect of the effort to get the network ready for the telework surge. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

Bill Vajda, Interior’s chief information officer, said IT modernization is letting the agency train its employees to be problem solvers and not focused on wires and pliers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .