The Fed Mission Success Round Up: DHS to Review Cyber Programs; Government Closing Innovation Gap; and New Agency Appointments

1/25/21

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.

DHS Nominee Pledges Review of Agency’s Core Cybersecurity Programs

Alejandro Mayorkas, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, promised to review the agency’s early detection and monitoring systems in the wake of the recent widespread cybersecurity breaches. 

New Report: Government Closing Innovation Gap

A recent Professional Services Council study found that the IT and innovation gap between public and private sector organizations has closed significantly – much of this was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

GAO: DoD Needs Permanent Group to Protect Critical Technologies

The Department of Defense is making progress on developing procedures for identifying and protecting critical technologies, but should designate an organization to run overall protection efforts, according to a recent GAO report. 

IRS Releases Year-End Agency Progress Report

The IRS recently released its year-end agency progress report, which highlights how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic and much more.

These Seven Agencies Will Be Looking for New CIOs

With the new Biden Administration fully onboard, there will be a number of CIO-level changes at seven different federal agencies.  

Rob Joyce to Lead NSA Cyber Office

The National Security Agency recently announced that Rob Joyce will replace Anne Neuberger as the chief of its cybersecurity directorate.

Agency Veterans Appointed as Acting CMS, HHS Leaders

Liz Richter has been named the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Norris Cochran will lead as acting Department of Health and Human Services Secretary.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.

Zero trust 2.0: The answer to government’s cyber woes

By implementing zero trust 2.0, the federal government can shrink its attack surface, enabling it to keep pace with the constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape.

From the Makpar Blog …

In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:

• Is the Product Owner the Most Important Role in Government Agile Development?

• The Fed Mission Success Round Up: GSA 2021 Acquisition Spree; Push for Zero Trust; and NASA Names Permanent CIO

• Cloud Migration Primer for Federal Agencies

• The Fed Mission Success Round Up: IT Modernization and Biden; House Passes FedRAMP Bill; and GSA GWAC

• Q&A: Introduction to Tariq Islam, the New Director of Technology and Solutions at Makpar

• The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Biden IT and Acquisition Priorities; Rise of National Cyber Director Role; and NOAA Celebrates 50th Anniversary

• Makpar’s Innovation Engineer Wins at Hackathon

• Congratulations to Acting IRS CIO Nancy Sieger for Being Named to FedScoop 50

• The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Deputy Federal CIO Discusses Future of IT Modernization; 2021 GSA IT Priorities; and DHS SBIR Program Opens

• Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to Cloud Adoption for Federal Government Agencies

• The Fed Mission Success Round Up: COVID-19 Accelerated IT Modernization; Boosting Pentagon AI Center; and IRS CIO Named FedScoop 50 Winner

Makpar has over a decade of experience providing high-level strategic and project management services, focused on cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies. Please contact us here for more information about how we can enhance mission success for your agency.