The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Cybersecurity, Modernization, Acquisition and More in Federal Agencies
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.
Watchdog Calls on HHS To Improve Feedback System for Health Care Cyber Breach Reporting
The Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Health and Human Services to improve how it collects feedback from the health care sector on cybersecurity breach reporting requirements. The watchdog recommended that the agency’s Office of Civil Rights set up a process to assess the ease with which entities like health plans and health care providers can disclose potential cybersecurity incidents to the federal government.
CISA Recommends Immediate Action for Microsoft Exchange Online Users
Federal agencies have just three months before their ability to comply with an executive order on cybersecurity while using Microsoft Exchange Online—the company’s cloud-based mail service—expires. CISA has released guidance on switching from Basic Authentication (“Basic Auth”) in Microsoft Exchange Online to Modern Authentication ("Modern Auth") before Microsoft begins permanently disabling Basic Auth on October 1, 2022.
VA Enables Login.gov for Three Major Veteran Portals
Three major VA service portals—VA.gov, My HealtheVet and the VA: Health and Benefits mobile app—can now be logged into using credentials through the General Services Administration’s single sign-on product Login.gov.
Seeing The Citizen as a Customer: Implementing a Customer-First Mindset In Government
Traditionally the government has not necessarily associated “customers” as citizens. But today’s focus on the “customer” of government promises to prioritize the citizen experience in navigating government services as opposed to just delivering services that check the box on paper.
USPTO Outlines Future Plans for AI, Innovation
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is investing in research, development and deployment of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to discover new process improvements. USPTO is currently looking to bolster its infrastructure to enable innovation. The agency created new rules that minimize barriers and mitigate pitfalls that may impede faster development and deployment of AI and other emerging technologies. The agency has also deployed new AI tools that USPTO's examiners can use to improve the quality of patent and trademark application examinations.
GSA Acquisition Exec Says Agency Will Proceed with Polaris Solicitation by End Of June
The General Services Administration plans to unpause the Polaris acquisition, halted to amend the solicitation in light of a pre-award bid protest, by the end of June. GSA will restart the proposal process and add a few extra days to the deadline in light of the July 4 holiday weekend.
Security Experts Urge Agencies to Test Post-Quantum Cryptography Algorithms Now
Agencies should test post-quantum cryptography algorithms with their software and decide whether information security benefits outweigh the efficiency losses ahead of a Federally mandated transition.
From the Makpar Blog …
In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:
In the Wake of the Polaris Pause: Are GWACs the Best Way to Help Government? (Opinion)
Makpar Innovation Lab Embodies World Creativity and Innovation Day 2022
How To Agile Series: “Are Daily Stand-Ups Effective or Not?”
How Makpar Enables 508 Compliance Testing for Federal Agencies
Insights Into Federal Agile Transformation Q&A: How to be an Agile DevOps Leader
Privacy Versus Security: How Government Leadership can Strike the Right Balance
Data Privacy Day 2022: Cyber Trends to Look out for this Year
Insights Into Federal Agile Transformation Q&A: Deliver Value by Turning Epics Into User Stories
Makpar Insights Into Federal Agile Transformation: Multi-Team Cross Platform Integration
President Biden Executive Order (EO) Aims to Enhance Customers Experience
Makpar Cybersecurity Forum Video Podcast: “What’s My Attack Surface?”
Data, Cybersecurity and Digital Services Next Phase for IRS IT Modernization
FDA Enhancing IT Modernization Efforts with New Office of Digital Transformation
Internal Revenue Services Enhances Compute Power to Bolster Fraud Detection Efforts
The 5 “Whys” for Stronger Cyber Security Governance at Federal Agencies
Makpar’s Pragmatic Agile Approach to Developing Its Fraud Detection Analytics Dashboard
OPINION: Mentor-Protégé Programs Bring Further Value to Government
PODCAST: A Deeper Look at Makpar’s Fraud Detection Analytics Dashboard
How Data Virtualization Saves Agencies Significant Resources
Beyond Passwords: Identity Access Management in the Digital Age
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Asian Immigrant Contributions to Tech
Tips for Remote Agile Scrum Ceremonies: How to Optimize for Success
Increasing Federal IT Efficiency: How to Streamline the ATO Process Leveraging DevSecOps
How Agencies Can Score Quick Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) Victories
PODCAST: How the Federal Government can Overcome Barriers to Agile Transformation
CIO-SP4 BPA, BIC MAC, and POLARIS Contracts to Drive Further Government Innovation
Makpar Applauds Appointment of First Native American U.S. Cabinet Member
Data Security Win: Virginia is Second State in U.S. to Pass Data Protection Legislation
How Decentralized Decision Making Can Help Federal Agencies Adopt a More Agile Practice
4 Ways to Migrate a Workload to the Cloud for Federal Government Agencies
PODCAST: The SolarWinds Breach Points to Need for Cyber Fundamentals
In Response to The SolarWinds Breach: The Need to Return to Cybersecurity Fundamentals.
Is the Product Owner the Most Important Role in Government Agile Development?
Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to Cloud Adoption for Federal Government Agencies
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Federal Agencies, Small/Medium Businesses, and Individuals
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