Fortunately, advances in process automation and AI are giving government agencies new capabilities to identify system bottlenecks and streamline business and operations processes in ways that can improve business and mission outcomes in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional IT modernization projects.

Today’s business process mining and automation tools allow “executives to shift their dependence on outsourced knowledge to in-house control for continuous problem-solving,” according to Todd Schroeder, formerly a U.S. Department of Agriculture IT systems chief who is now vice president for public sector at UiPath. “That translates into a radically different time-to-value modernization quotient — and a radically lower cost structure,” he says in the report produced by Scoop News Group and underwritten by UiPath.

The report “How Automation and AI are Changing the Traditional Approach to Government IT Modernization” highlights how robotic process automation has evolved from a tool to streamline redundant tasks such as financial accounting work to what has increasingly become an enterprise-wide effort to improve mission outcomes.

One example cited in the report is the work underway at the USDA’s Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence office. The office is automating routine processes across the department and fostering a rising generation of “citizen developers” to automate work processes in individuals’ respective jobs.

The report also highlights how automation work that began in the Navy’s Financial Management and Comptroller’s Office is now expanding to improve operations in other Naval support offices and between different departments in government.

Schroeder says agency leaders are on the verge of realizing even greater capabilities with UiPath’s push into AI. UiPath’s AI Trust Layer platform, he says, provides customers with a new level of “auditability, traceability, observability, and replicability” when applying AI to business processes.

“This is the moment,” says Schroeder, “when agency leaders not only have the means to rethink how they modernize but reimagine how federal workers can accomplish their work in new and more effective ways. And that’s critical if the government is to catch up and meet the needs of society’s requirements.”

Download and read the full report.  

This article was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and sponsored by UiPath.

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A record 2,897 satellites were launched into orbit around the Earth by more than 50 countries last year, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist known for documenting space activity. An even greater number are expected to be launched in 2024.

All of that contributes to a supernova of new space-based communications and Earth-observation sensor capabilities, says Stephen Kitay, a former Pentagon deputy assistant secretary for space policy, now senior director of Azure Space at Microsoft.

“A huge transformation is happening in space — and the technology that was never there before — effectively extending the internet and edge computing into space,” Kitay said in the report, produced by Scoop News Group and underwritten by Microsoft.

What’s been missing until recently, he says, is a reliable and secure way to manage and transmit the explosive growth of satellite data being collected in space and the means to automate and manage satellite activities more efficiently.

That’s changing as a new era of secure, scalable cloud computing centers strategically located around the globe is developing to stay connected to all those satellites — along with a new generation of software platforms to manage the devices, applications, and data on board all of them, according to the report.

How federal agencies stand to benefit

The report highlights the rise of hybrid space architecture, which Microsoft helped pioneer under the Azure Space banner launched in 2020. The concept involves “bringing cloud and space technologies together to foster a partner ecosystem,” explained Kitay. That effort has spawned a variety of components, including:

• Azure Orbital Ground Station – designed to give satellite operators, including government customers, the ability to deliver space data with near-zero latency to Microsoft’s global network of Microsoft and partner ground stations.
• Azure Orbital Cloud Access – enables a seamless cloud experience anywhere on the planet by combining Microsoft Cloud with low latency satellite and 5G communications.
• Microsoft Planetary Computer – a multi-petabyte catalog of global open geospatial data with intuitive APIs aimed at helping researchers, scientists, students, and organizations worldwide gain valuable insights from Earth observation data.

At the same time, Microsoft is “bringing our code and our software into space by empowering developers to build applications on the ground in the cloud and then seamlessly deploy them on board spacecraft,” Kitay said.

The report also highlights examples of how federal agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the Defense Department, among others, stand to gain powerful new insights from Earth observation data to better support their missions.

“Removing the barriers to seamless and secure connectivity from ground to orbit creates entirely new opportunities for federal government customers, including those operating in classified environments,” said Zach Kramer, vice president of the Mission Engineering unit at Microsoft.

“Defense and civilian agencies can leverage this ubiquitous connectivity to develop and deploy new applications, gather and transmit data at the speed of relevance, and gain an information advantage to serve the American people.”

Download the full report.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and underwritten by Microsoft.

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In light of persistent data breach risks, a new report, “Empowering print management in government digital transformation,” produced by Scoop News Group and underwritten by Canon, says agencies must prioritize robust print management solutions that not only mitigate print security risks but also enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of print-related processes.

Furthermore, cloud-based print management solutions are becoming more popular as organizations look for ways to:

• Reduce paper consumption: Print management solutions can track user printing behavior, identify double printing opportunities, and offer mobile printing options to reduce paper usage.
• Streamline workflows: Automating print workflows can free up staff for more critical tasks.
• Improve security: By monitoring and controlling printer access, these solutions safeguard sensitive government data.

The report emphasizes how Canon’s solutions offer FedRAMP authorization, which ensures government-approved security features for cloud-based print management. They empower government entities to securely move their print management systems to the cloud while providing real-time asset tracking, automatic supply replenishment and historical performance data.

Moreover, its secure print and scan services are compatible with CAC/PIV cards, allowing employees to release secure prints on authorized devices.

Read the report to learn more about cloud printing solutions that offer centralized management, streamlining the process for IT teams to oversee, control and sustain their fleet of devices.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and StateScoop and sponsored by Canon USA.

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What agencies have underestimated, however, is how rapidly network infrastructure is evolving. The expanding capabilities of 5G, Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC), Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) that uses 4G and 5G radio spectrum, small-cell Wi-Fi extension technology, low-latency satellite connections and higher capacity broadband capabilities are collectively redefining the nature of network infrastructure.

Collectively, those capabilities offer civilian and defense agencies a new generation of network versatility – and the ability to reimagine and rearchitect how they support their workforces around the globe asserts a new report from Scoop News Group underwritten by Verizon.

The report notes that federal agencies have made monumental strides in modernizing parts of their IT operations. However, without also modernizing their underlying network services to leverage those cloud capabilities, “agencies risk the prospects of maintaining the equivalent of a newly renovated office tower that kept the aging, sub-par wiring and plumbing in place behind the walls,” the report suggests.

That prevents agencies from taking advantage of more agile networking and security capabilities and leaves them vulnerable to increasing strains on their networks, argues Brian Schromsky, Managing Partner, 5G Public Sector at Verizon, in the report.

He points to several critical factors that make network modernization more crucial than ever, including:

• Growing pressures to handle data effectively.
• The need for ubiquitous and resilient connectivity.
• Support for a mobile and hybrid workforce.
• Escalating risks of security breaches.

Fortunately, just as agencies discovered the inherent advantages of adopting cloud-based services for their infrastructure, platforms and applications, agencies have access to many of those same advantages by adopting a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model and by harnessing a new generation of wireless networking capabilities, the report says.

Recent advances in network technology are poised to give agencies a new kind of advantage by being able to augment and even leapfrog legacy networks rather than merely upgrade them, says Schromsky.

“It’s now possible to establish high-speed, secure and reliable connectivity with fixed wireless access without requiring cable or fiber to run underground. Private networking is a great choice for government agencies, as well as the private sector partners who help them build, operate, and maintain public infrastructure because it provides high levels of security and reliability,” he says in the report.

NaaS solutions, meanwhile, like those available from Verizon, allow enterprises to adopt agile, automated network platforms consumed as a service. For agencies, that means moving from vision to implementation more quickly — and connecting users to applications and data across evolving cloud and work environments more reliably.

The explosion of data and metadata accompanying artificial intelligence and machine learning work requires advanced levels of automation and network function virtualization (NFV) to optimize performance, the report argues. Turning over the mechanics of network management to a NaaS provider and taking advantage of newer wireless capabilities, offer agencies the means to roll out greater bandwidth capacity and increase network security more quickly, and focus more on mission outcomes and less on configuration bottlenecks.

Read the full report.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and sponsored by Verizon.

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Within this era, where web applications and APIs serve as the lifeblood of government agencies, the need for robust security measures cannot be overstated. While these technologies have revolutionized service delivery and citizen-government communication, they’ve also become prime targets for hackers.

This challenge is amplified for government entities, which often deal with aging applications and systems, impeding their ability to keep pace with evolving threats in contrast to their more agile private sector counterparts.

A report produced by Scoop News Group and underwritten by Invicti Security sheds light on how modern security testing tools can help public sector organizations fortify their web application security in the face of escalating cyber threats.

Invicti Security’s Chief Technology Officer, Frank Catucci, emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of potential attack scenarios, especially in dealing with legacy systems. Rigorous testing is essential to identifying vulnerabilities accurately as more applications move online and become exposed to threats.

“In certain instances, the latest versions of software might be inappropriate because they’re perhaps older components or things that are critical for infrastructure or business functions that can’t be disrupted as well. So, in that case, rigorous testing becomes imperative. And we need to understand, without a lot of noise, where the real risks lie,” Catucci says.

The report dives into the importance of integrating security practices into DevOps processes. It highlights why adopting solutions that blend into the software development cycle (SDLC)—like dynamic application security testing (DAST), interactive application security testing (IAST), or software composition analysis (SCA)—provides comprehensive coverage for applications in development and production, yielding accurate results and reducing manual work.

Read the report to learn how to build robust web application security through continuous, comprehensive and automated scans across their entire attack surfaces.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and DefenseScoop and sponsored by Invicti Security.

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Defense and intelligence community leaders working to improve security resilience and remain operational during disruptions should consider the full capabilities of next-generation firewall (NGFW) solutions, says a new report produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and underwritten by Cisco.

Because organizations have acquired separate security tools over time, they have added a lot of complexity to their suite of solutions. NGFW can now provide interconnectivity between firewalls, intrusion detection systems, intrusion protection systems, workload security, endpoint security, threat intelligence and encrypted traffic analysis.

“I remind people that there are over 3,100 U.S.-based security vendors — tens of thousands across the world — and while I will never argue against the necessity of a security tool, I do stress that at some point, these innovations need to either work with something else or be bought by somebody,” explained Chris Crider, security systems engineering leader at Cisco. “At some point, leaders have to make choices on how to best implement security in their environment.”

DOD and IC communities aren’t alone in this challenge. A recent study, produced by Scoop News Group, asked 165 prequalified federal leaders about the state and strength of their current security posture.

More than half (55%) of respondents reported that their security tools function moderately to completely independently from their suite of solutions. And 33% said their organization uses between 11 to 40 different vendors across their security technologies, while 11% use more than 50 security vendors.

But changing the way organizations defend the perimeter is a sentiment that defense leaders are echoing. In a recent FedScoop interview, James “Aaron” Bishop, CISO for the Department of the Air Force, spoke about the challenges of defining the network perimeter and how the Air Force is securing their substantial IT environment.

Bishop referred to the Air Force as operating “150 little cities around the world,” which encompasses a vast IT infrastructure with technology running on different lifecycles that need to be upgraded, maintained, patched and replaced.

“But as a warfighting mission,” he explained, “I also have to extend that capability beyond that base. So now my networks have to go into expeditionary communications, extended aerial networks, etc. Now I need to understand where that perimeter is, where do I protect it [and] where do I pass it on to the next environment that may or may not be there today or tomorrow?”

Leaning into NGFW allows organizations to adopt dynamic packet filtering and policies that travel with applications as they move across a global infrastructure.

“That means that DOD and IC organizations can build and implement policies and additionally utilize security group tags to specify the privileges of a traffic source within a trusted network. Then migrate into any cloud to provide services globally and take the analytics and logging to monitor traffic with a single pane of glass,” added Norman St. Laurent, cyber security specialist at Cisco. “With NGFW, organizations can always monitor what is happening on the network, have a holistic view of activity and full contextual awareness to see threat activity across users, hosts, networks and devices.”

The first important step is finding the right partner to begin integrating security solutions. According to Gartner, organizations should look for some of the following key capabilities when implementing an NGFW:

• Standard firewall capabilities like a stateful inspection.
• Integrated intrusion prevention.
• Application awareness and control to see and block risky applications.
• Threat intelligent sources.
• Upgrade paths to include future information feeds.
• Techniques to address evolving security threats.

Read the full report and learn more about integrating a firewall solution that will adapt to your organization’s evolving network needs.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and sponsored by Cisco.

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According to CISA, “the team gained persistent access to the organization’s network, moved laterally across the organization’s multiple geographically separated sites, and eventually gained access to systems adjacent to the organization’s sensitive business systems (SBSs).”

The initial access was gained through spearphishing emails — also known as business email compromise (BEC) — which targeted specific users in the organization.

Security leaders from Proofpoint walked us through these report findings and detailed why identity-focused attacks remain the most vulnerable entry point to an organization, in a recent report, “Putting Federal Security Controls to the Test,” produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop, and underwritten by Proofpoint.

“There are a lot of different ways threat actors can get that initial access [into a network],” shared Garrett Guinivan, solutions architect and threat analyst at Proofpoint. “And often what leaders don’t realize is the high number of threats coming in via email.”

Once an attacker has access, many organizations don’t have the tools to alert them that they are inside their environment. The danger here is that an attacker can maintain persistence in the network, gather information, escalate their privileges and move laterally across the network until they are ready to launch their attack.

Hanna Wong, director of public sector solutions at Proofpoint, added, “cyberthreat actors are getting more creative with their attacks on people and using modern tools to obfuscate their activity. So, it is incredibly important that federal leaders integrate security solutions that are impactful and take the agency beyond meeting minimal compliance.”

This is where establishing identity threat, detection and response (ITDR) practices can be helpful. ITDR focuses on detecting and preventing credentials and privilege account abuse from vulnerable identities in an organization. ITDR also deploys honeypots for early detection of an attack, giving defenders an edge in learning more about a threat actor’s techniques.

“ITDR platforms like Illusive, Proofpoint’s new acquisition, make it harder for an actor to move inside a network and provide an organization with both the visibility of risks that need to be remediated, in addition to providing alert mechanisms that make it harder for attackers to maintain a persistent presence or escalate their privileges,” explained Guinivan.

“Having accurate data of where your biggest threats are, and your true threat model, are ways we can help executives better understand where they need to invest their security resources,” he said.

Read the full report and learn more about integrating solutions that protect people and data from the latest cyberattacks.This article was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and sponsored by Proofpoint.

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“Automation enables [the U.S.] Army to create new capabilities in legacy systems without investing resources into changing the underlying system,” said Raj G. Iyer, former CIO of the U.S. Department of the Army. Iyer was one of several government officials cited in the report, produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and sponsored by UiPath, who detailed how automation is making a significant difference in their organization.

Iyer, who stepped down from his position at the end of last month, explained how the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) office recently completed a pilot program where robotic process automation (RPA) expedited the handling of unmatched financial transactions. The ASA (FM&C) office handles more than one million such transactions per year, according to Iyer. “RPA is expected to save millions of dollars in manual labor each year,” he said.

“I think that automation — specifically using bots — is really starting to take off and provide value to businesses,” added Krista Kinnard, chief of emerging technology in the CIO’s office at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Kinnard and others explained that automation isn’t just speeding up workflows but boosting productivity and improving agency services faster, at lower costs and with less risk than big-ticket IT modernization projects.

“Automation is moving from the edges, all the way inside into the enterprise. That’s a big change,” observed Sunil Madhugiri, chief technology officer at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where approximately 250 automation “bots” are in production or under development, according to the report. Madhugiri highlighted one instance where automation helped CBP work with international airlines to notify and divert some 239,000 travelers from boarding U.S.-bound flights due to Covid restriction rules during the pandemic.

The report highlights how automation can effectively “operationalize” mission and business processes at federal agencies and deliver cost savings and service improvements that often prove elusive in IT modernization overhauls.

“Modernization has become synonymous with big, ‘rip-and-replace’ efforts, involving new systems, long-term physical transformations that are costly in technology, change management, workforce, opportunity cost, and time to value,” noted Mike Daniels, senior vice president, public sector at UiPath. “[Government agencies] have made huge investments to forklift systems to the cloud. But what’s gotten lost in that process is the need to examine whether those efforts drive a result quicker, faster or better.”

Todd Schroeder, a former chief of digital services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture who now serves at UiPath as public sector vice president, adds that automation platforms not only bring the power of scale to the work agency employees need to get done but can also address process pain points quickly. He cites in the report how the New York Department of Labor, despite a 10-fold increase in temporary staff, couldn’t keep up with demand for unemployment claims during the pandemic — and how deploying UiPath tools not only cut through the backlog but later helped save New York an estimated $12 billion in potential fraud.

Read the full report on how automation is helping government agencies improve mission services.

This article was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and sponsored by UiPath.

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