Weekly Roundup - June 15, 2018
Submitted by MKeegan on Fri, 06/15/2018 - 15:45
Friday, June 15, 2018
Michael J. Keegan
Karen Evans to head Energy's new cyber shop. Karen Evans, former e-government administrator under President George W. Bush, was named to head the Department of Energy's new cybersecurity office. Currently Evans is national director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a program to enhance the size and quality of the cybersecurity workforce.
What happens when data becomes more important than the mission? As the prominence of the cyber domain intensifies, the Pentagon increasingly must choose between supporting the mission and protecting its valuable data.
OMB drafts new 'Cloud Smart' strategy. It has been seven years since OMB issued its Cloud First approach to help agencies move to the cloud. Under the guidance of Trump administration, OMB has spent a year consulting with agencies and now plans to issue a new cloud strategy within the next few months. The Cloud Smart guidance will focus on three distinct areas -- security, workforce and procurement -- as it updates and refreshes the seven-year old guidance issued during the Obama administration.
'Balance' between speed, quality key to USPTO efforts to reduce backlog. As he prepares to sign the nation’s 10 millionth patent, Andrei Iancu, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is also looking at ways to improve his workforce’s efficiency and decrease the patent backlog. Improved training, new technology tools and clarified processes will all play a role in that effort.
John Kamensky
Customer Feedback. Kathy Conrad and Eric Keller penned a column for Government Executive observing: “Congress is moving to ease restrictions that limit agencies’ ability to seek feedback from the public. But even now, agencies can get some input without running afoul of the PRA [Paperwork Reduction Act].”
Reducing Non-Value-Added Compliance Paperwork. As part of its campaign to reduce non-value-added paperwork across the government, the Office of Management and Budget targets its own requirements for paring. It substantially revised compliance requirements for its internal controls reporting in Circular A-123!
Good News, Bad News. FCW reports: “The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would provide $150 million for the centralized fund created by the Modernizing Government Technology Act.” This is $50 million more than last year, and $60 million less than requested by the Administration.
Next Week on The Business of Government Hour: Interview with Beth Angerman, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Shared Solutions and Performance Improvement, General Services Administration. How will this office drive the future of IT Modernization? What’s next for shared services in the federal government? Join host Michael Keegan on The Business of Government Hour as he explores these questions and so much more with Beth Angerman, Deputy Associate Administrator, GSA’s Office of Shared Solutions and Performance Improvement. That's next week on The Business of Government Hour.
Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED.
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