The Small Agency CIO Council published the Federal Small Agency CIO and IT Executive Handbook in partnership with GSA’s IT Modernization division. As co-chairs of the Small Agency CIO Council and having managed IT organizations within the context of small agencies, we recognized the importance of creating guidance specifically to meet the unique challenges faced by IT leaders in our small agency community. This handbook serves as a foundational guide to assist small agency IT Executives in carrying out their missions. Small agencies often have unique organizational structures that do not ..read more

In February 2023, the Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council hosted a “Fraud Detection & Prevention Symposium”. The day-long event featured over 20 executives, technologists, and changemakers from 10+ agencies, academia, and the private sector participating in the one-day event to discuss fraud issues as mentioned below that are impacting agencies. The event was well attended with nearly 300 participants. Managing and addressing fraud is critical to protecting our taxpayer resources and is a critical responsibility of the Federal Government. However, agencies vary in their abili ..read more

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great opportunity for all of us to think through how we approach cybersecurity in both our work and personal lives. Every day, we hear stories about the latest compromise at an organization, or a person who has fallen victim to cyber criminals. As highlighted by the themes of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 and the Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity released last year, one of the most effective techniques we can employ is to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA essentially means accessing services using two or more forms of au ..read more

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In May 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity,” making cybersecurity a government-wide priority. Launched last year, the U.S. Digital Corps is a two-year, full-time opportunity housed at the General Services Administration (GSA) for early-career technologists to start their careers working on high-impact projects across the federal government — including in cybersecurity. Jamila Crawford, a U.S. Digital Corps Fellow at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), shares her jou ..read more

A pipeline is shut down for a week, resulting in delays in delivery of 20 billion gallons of oil.  A large meat supplier halts operations at nine processing plants, causing shortages on supermarket shelves. 100 terabytes of intellectual property are stolen from a major media company. Besides being devastating to the affected businesses, shareholders, and their customers, what do these all have in common? All were cybersecurity compromises that began with the simple action of an employee clicking on a link in a phishing message. The big compromises like those listed above may get the headl ..read more

Earlier today, we announced that $100 million of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) will be designated to help streamline and improve public-facing digital services and technology systems to deliver a better customer experience to the American people. All Federal agencies and High-Impact Service Providers (HISPs), which serve the largest percentage of people, conduct the greatest volume of transactions annually, and have an outsized impact on the lives of the individuals they serve, are eligible to apply for this funding. The effort will help to deliver on the commitments outlined in both ..read more

Every day, the public experiences well-designed interactions when using consumer products and services. They’re easy and intuitive. The public rightfully wants, expects, and deserves the same experience when interacting with the Government – and it’s possible. Technology underpins our ability to get there. Data enables an enterprise view, provides better insights to agencies’ modernization journeys, and optimizes strategic investment decisions through the Information Technology Oversight and Reform (ITOR) account, Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), and Federal Citizen Services Fund (FCSF). O ..read more

The Federal CIO Council’s Federal Mobility Group (FMG) has released the final version of its in-depth international travel guidance report. The new document details a series of best practices agencies can adopt to safeguard Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE) mobile devices—mobile phones, tablets, and laptop computers—against attacks while in use during travel to foreign countries. Mobile devices have evolved to become a critical link between a traveler and their home office, providing them access to business applications and data they would otherwise lack. Ensuring this line of communicatio ..read more

On December 13, 2021, the President signed an Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government. This EO is about ensuring the Federal Government serves its customers better by putting people at the center of everything we do. With this announcement by the President, we in the Federal IT community are being called to action since it is technology that underpins the Government’s ability to deliver a more simple, seamless, and secure customer experience for the American public. As a former Federal CIO, I know how many things you are a ..read more

Federal agencies did it again! CIOs, CISOs, and their staff pulled together for another successful Cybersecurity Awareness Month. With this year’s overarching theme of “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart,” agency CIOs and CISOs did a great job educating, bringing awareness, and emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity. Here are just a few of the highlights from this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month: The CISO Council featured four blogs on CIO.gov; a video message from National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, and; an educational video on IT careers. The Department of Education held virtual wee ..read more