The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Automation, Digitization, and Modernization in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Fareeha Khan

Monday August 9th, 2021

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.

Shrinking the Tax Gap Requires a Renewed IRS Workforce

Congress must give the agency statutory authority to develop and implement a new set of civil service rules if it is to hire and hold accountable employees with the necessary skills.

SEC Chief Gary Gensler Braces for Clash with Crypto Traders

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler this week declared war on what he called the Wild West of crypto trading, promising a vigorous attack on fraud and misconduct. But progress is likely to be more piecemeal and incremental than wholesale and sudden.

TMF Board Still Accepting Governmentwide Cyber Proposals

Federal projects to improve cybersecurity at multiple agencies in a single go have a good chance at getting money from the Technology Modernization Fund with little to no payback requirement

NARA Plans to Expand Access to Digital Records Over the Next 5 Years

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released its draft 2022-2026 Strategic Plan with a heavy focus on maximizing the use and availability of digital records. By the end of this year, NARA will only be accepting electronic records from Federal agencies. But that digital revolution will mean big changes for NARA, too, and the agency is working on a strategic plan to continue that evolution through 2026.

State Wants Better Bots and Processes for Its Help Desk

The State Department division in charge of managing the agency’s help desks and support services is getting ready to consolidate and wants a better bot ecosystem—including better processes and security—as the office automates manual tasks.

Senators Introduce Bill to Help Agencies Counter Deepfakes and Deceptive Media

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee leaders moved to form a new Federal task force to explore setting standards and deploying technologies for determining facts about the origins of digital content.

Social Security 'Overwhelmed' by Mail, Infuriating Customers Seeking Documents

The Social Security Administration is struggling with a backlog of thousands of unprocessed eligibility documents and half of field offices report being "overwhelmed" by mail as a result of the agency's inability to adequately manage mail processing during the pandemic.

FedRAMP Just Automated Checking Security Authorization Packages for Completeness

The General Services Administration plans to release XML-automated validations next week allowing vendors to check their security authorization packages for completeness before submitting them to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

Senate Committee Calls for FISMA to be Revamped

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has identified continued major cybersecurity failings across agencies and is calling for the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) to be reformed. 

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Fareeha Khan
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