Technically Speaking

When it comes to enhancing their cybersecurity postures, federal agencies have to wade through an entire alphabet soup of regulatory compliance guidelines. From the RMF (Risk Management Framework) to FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) and DISA STIGs (Defense Information Systems Agency Security Technical Implantation Guides), there are a number of requirements that agencies must implement to satisfy the government’s definition of a secure environment.

Hackers are ruthless in their persistence and fortitude. It can take weeks or months for them to gather intelligence on your IT vulnerabilities, penetrate your network, and exfiltrate your precious data. But they know, and statistics prove this, that, for the most part, their victims have no idea that their network infrastructure is under attack – until it’s too late.

If your agency or organization is thinking of moving to BIM for your infrastructure projects you’re probably wondering where to start. The good news is you are more BIM-ready than you thought. However, that doesn’t mean you can make the move overnight, although it may take less time than you think.

Could the technology that powers shadowy online cryptocurrencies used by terrorists, cyber criminals, and money launderers soon be deployed by the Department of Defense?

Another month, another regulation deadline to comply with. But this time, it’s defense contractors who are in the hot seat. To safeguard defense information in non-federal systems and organizations, U.S. defense contractors and soon all federal agencies, must meet the DFARS 7012 mandate and implement all of the requirements of NIST Special Publication 800-171 Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

If you’re wondering where to spend your federal fiscal year-end dollars, no doubt cybersecurity is top of mind. With threats increasing and constantly evolving, protecting federal systems, networks, and data has never been more important. But this year, there’s a new imperative for federal CIOs – the Presidential Executive Order on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure.