The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Cybersecurity, Modernization, and More in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Fareeha Khan

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.

Global Financial Crimes Organization Releases Guide on NFTs

An international coalition dedicated to policing global tax evasion and related cyber financial crimes issued a new advisory warning financial institutions of the inherent dangers of engaging in commercial transactions with Non-fungible Tokens, or NFTs.

NIST Official: Revised Cybersecurity Supply-Chain Guidance Imminent

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is about to publish guidance for securing enterprises against supply chain hacks following the SolarWinds event and other major third-party attacks targeting critical infrastructure. 

DISA Setting Direction for Thunderdome Cybersecurity Initiative

The Defense Information Security Agency is fleshing out plans for its Thunderdome program, which is aimed at helping the Pentagon implement a zero-trust cybersecurity model.

IRS has Opportunity to Improve Customer Experience by Embracing Digital Services

The IRS recently announced that they’re establishing a Taxpayer Experience Office to focus on improving the digital services the agency provides. As more of our interactions move online, the IRS recognizes the need to create an experience for taxpayers and businesses that is on par with what they’ve come to expect in their everyday lives. This is an excellent step towards improving the customer experience of the IRS, but the key to success will be whether the IRS treats the applications and websites they create as digital services rather than enterprise or data services.

GSA Wants Feedback on DEIA in Construction and Design Initiatives

GSA announced a request for information on Thursday in order to further President Biden’s executive orders on increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workforce and advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities through actions of the Federal government as well as GSA’s equity action plan.

GSA Launches New Tool to Simplify the Federal Buying Process

The General Services Administration is launching a new tool to help simplify the Federal buying process, providing the acquisition community with streamlined market research, searchable templates and interactive resources.

OPM was Quietly Redesignated the Point Office for HR Shared Services

The Office of Management and Budget quietly redesignated the Office of Personnel Management the quality services management office for civilian human resources transactions March 30, after finding the agency better suited to stand up a modern IT solutions marketplace that includes commercial offerings.

VA Clarifies Scope of Latest Electronic Health Records Outages

The Department of Veterans Affairs has clarified that two outages at Cerner’s electronic health records system earlier this week affected all Federal government customers using the platform.

IRS Free File Program: IRS Should Develop Additional Options for Taxpayers to File for Free

The IRS and a consortium of tax preparation companies offer free online tax preparation services and filing help under the Free File program. About 70% of taxpayers could use it, but less than 3% of taxpayers do. The IRS wants to improve Free File, including enhancing access for taxpayers with disabilities. But improving Free File may increase requirements on tax preparation companies, leading them to opt out. Stakeholders had differing views on whether IRS should keep Free File after its 2023 agreement expires or develop its own online filing system. 

IRS Shares Knowledge Management Insights, Successes With DOD for JADC2

There are big changes on the horizon for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). President Joe Biden intends for the service to double in size and onboard more than 80,000 people, but the service is well prepared for newcomers due to an efficient knowledge management effort.

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