The Department of Homeland Security is simplifying its information technology architecture to improve end-user experience and coordination among components, Federal News Network reported Thursday. 

Stephen Rice, deputy chief information officer at the Department of Homeland Security, said DHS wants to harmonize IT tools and experiences for DHS employees to help components better connect, share resources and collaborate. The Coast Guard updated its four-year strategic plan to include efforts to utilize emerging technologies and investments in IT infrastructure. 

“Information needs to be available anywhere, any time but in a full, degraded and disconnected environment,” said Brian Burns, deputy CIO of the Coast Guard. 
 
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is developing simple communications methods to improve response during natural disasters. Emerging technologies is also another priority for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA is exploring the latest tech trends to address cyber threats and the needs of customers. 

Terry Carpenter, program executive officer for the National Background Investigation Service, said the agency has adopted artificial intelligence and digital tools to collect and sort information on candidates to speed up the security clearance process as part of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 framework, Nextgov reported Thursday. 

“We have a complete list of how the algorithm got to the recommendation. We can click on any piece of data in that decision-making chain and see it. And that gets packaged up as part of the supporting evidence for why decisions were made,” Carpenter said Thursday at the Government Analytics Breakfast Forum. 

NBIS expects the use of AI and digitized data sources to facilitate the “continuous evaluation” structure to reassess clearance holders on a regular basis using new data.

“We already have 1.1 million names in as part of the initiative and it just goes through the data sources on some reoccurring schedule set by the business rules and if an anomaly comes up, then we look at the anomaly and decide what to do with it,” Carpenter said at the event hosted by REI Systems and Johns Hopkins University.

Charles Rettig, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, said the agency needs $2.3 to $2.7 billion in additional funds over the next six years to execute its information technology modernization plan, FCW reported Thursday. He told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday the funds would help the IRS comply with the 2017 tax reform bill, Affordable Care Act and other laws that demand IT transformation.

“It’s difficult to continually patch,” he said at the Senate panel hearing. “At some point you need to replace, and we’re definitely at that point.” 

Rettig noted the IRS encounters approximately 1.2 billion cyber attacks each year and intends to use a portion of the proposed IT modernization budget to carry out its Data Encryption at Rest program to support network monitoring operations. 

The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Defense Collaboration Services unveiled a free and integrated teleconferencing technology for Department of Defense employees.

The technology is compatible with defense switched network, enterprise voice over internet protocol and commercial phone systems to help telephone and web conference users communicate with DoD co-employees through an integrated DCS audio function, DISA said Wednesday.

Users may perform screen-sharing, present PowerPoint slides, carry out polls and record web sessions through the DCS web conferencing capability. In addition, users may remove call participants, mute users and view all conference participants.

“It’s important that organizations allow necessary network and workstation  changes so employees can have access to these free features that will let DOD employees worldwide work more collaboratively,” said Derek Westray, lead engineer at DCS.