The Fed Mission Success Round Up: SBA, Cloud, FedRAMP, and Software in Federal Agencies

Monday August 16, 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.

Does the SBA’s Rosy Spin on Goaling Achievement Hurt Small Businesses?

When it comes to reporting on the small business goals, the SBA fervently emphasizes the good news while almost entirely ignoring the bad.

Agencies Embracing Cloud for Records Digitization, Virtual Reality During and After Pandemic

Post-pandemic, the civil service is expected to be hybrid, paperless and agile. This is thanks to cloud technology, which the Labor Department, Government Accountability Office and Air Force have implemented in tailored ways both thanks to and pre-dating COVID-19’s forced mass telework conditions.

Commerce Department Developing Massive IT Services Contract

The Commerce Department is building a new IT contract to be used at every level of the agency, with an eye toward making the department “recognized as a leader” in Federal technology.

Dissecting FedRAMP for Containerized Applications

September deadlines are approaching fast, and many agencies are still wrestling with FedRAMP’s releases of Vulnerability Scanning Requirements for Containers. The nature of FedRAMP is to provide structure and set standards around cloud products and services—not necessarily dictate how to comply.

White House Memo Orders Agencies to Identify Critical Software

Federal agencies have 60 days to identify critical software in their systems and one year to secure it, according to a memo issued Aug. 10 by the Office of Management and Budget.

Why SD-WAN Takes on Greater Importance in Hybrid IT Environments

As government organizations continue to expand their hybrid IT environments and adopt zero trust security practices, agency leaders will need to move away from traditional wide area networks (WAN) and adopt newer software-defined networking (SD-WAN) solutions, says a long-time Federal security expert in a new report.

Cyberspace Solarium Commission Warns Over Slow Progress on Supply Chain Risk

The landmark Cyberspace Solarium Commission warned that major barriers remain over the designation of cybersecurity responsibilities under the Defense Production Act (DPA).

What’s Fueling the M&A Wave in Government Technology?

As local and state officials get more sophisticated about software, companies are buying peers and competitors in a push unlike any yet seen. Experts explain what’s happening and what it means for governments.

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. 

From the Makpar Blog …

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

• 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

• Agile Transformation

• Increasing Federal IT Efficiency: How to Streamline the ATO Process Leveraging DevSecOps

• Tackling the Challenges of Big Data for Federal Agencies

• 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

• The Cybersecurity Framework That Keeps You and Your Family Safe as You Access Your IRS Records for Stimulus Checks

• 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?

• Cloud Migration Primer for Federal Agencies

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

• Cybersecurity Best Practices for Federal Agencies, Small/Medium Businesses, and Individuals

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.