The Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) codifies the Department of Homeland Security's role in administering the implementation of information security policies created by NIST in order to secure federal information system security. 2021 brought many changes to Federal Cybersecurity requirements that will impact FISMA compliance—and affect government and contractor information systems and enterprises. Specifically, NIS...

Cloud Computing continues to grow in importance in the public sector. Agency personnel responsible for developing and implementing cloud-based solutions, for implementing data center consolidation and other technology efficiencies, continue to look for opportunities to learn about the best technologies, configurations, service and deployment models and appropriate mix of cloud services, based on their government agency requirements. Digital Go...

Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt data files rendering any files on the computing device unusable. Once files are encrypted a ransom is demanded in exchange for decryption keys. Ransomware is a major ongoing security problem and a growing national security threat. Government agencies are organizing on numerous fronts to combat ransomware. On July 15, 2021 the U.S. Government launched a new One-Stop Ransomware resource at stop...

OVERVIEW By the beginning of 2021, NIST will have released the finals of many Risk Management Framework (RMF) standards: SP800-53 Rev 5 – Security Controls SP800-53B – Security Control Baselines, Privacy Framework SP800-160 Vol 2 – Systems Security Engineering SP800-161 Rev 1 – Supply Chain Risk Management SP800-171 Rev 2 – Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and High Valued Assets (HVA) Revisions to the NIS...

Natural disasters and other catastrophic events not only impact citizens directly, but also can disrupt the IT systems government agencies rely on to serve citizens after impact. It is critical that Federal, State and local governments respond in a timely fashion to circulate vital information and provide services to those affected, especially in an emergency. In order to do this, agencies must adopt modern solutions that support today’s...

Many government agencies are trying to be adaptive, agile, and innovative to improve performance and achieve mission objectives. But, at times, this can be a challenge considering the number of internal and external constraints on the agency. Incorporating business intelligence best practices into an agency’s knowledge management program can assist the agency in having the right information in the right place at the right time to enable...

Public sector organizations face a unique challenge when it comes to the cloud: how can they successfully migrate their operations while maintaining an air-tight, heavily regulated, massively distributed environment? To solve this problem, Amazon created the AWS GovCloud (US), accessible to US customers who meet strict security and compliance standards. Whether you’re currently on GovCloud or planning to migrate, Datadog - in partnership...

Government agencies are using cloud computing solutions to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and improve service delivery. As the public sector continues to expand cloud adoption, the need for securing government data in the Cloud remains a top priority. DGI’s virtual Cloud Security Conference will explore the policies, applications, strategies, technologies, and best practices associated with securing the government Cloud.

The mission of the Federal Data Strategy is to leverage data as a strategic asset to grow the economy, promote transparency and increase effectiveness of the Federal Government. Key government officials have been developing a long-term, government-wide Federal Data Strategy to leverage government data to allow use by the public, business and researchers. 2021 will continue to be a year of action for the Federal Data Strategy. The Federal Data...

OVERVIEW By the beginning of 2021, NIST will have released the finals of many Risk Management Framework (RMF) standards: SP800-53 Rev 5 – Security Controls SP800-53B – Security Control Baselines, Privacy Framework SP800-160 Vol 2 – Systems Security Engineering SP800-161 Rev 1 – Supply Chain Risk Management SP800-171 Rev 2 – Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and High Valued Assets (HVA) Revisions to the NIS...