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CBRE’s Stuart Dyer Talks Data Center Outsourcing, Cloud Security With Potomac Officers Club
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CBRE’s Stuart Dyer Talks Data Center Outsourcing, Cloud Security With Potomac Officers Club

First Vice President of the data center advisory group at CBRE, Stuart Dyer, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club. Dyer brings over a decade of business development and data center experience to his role at CBRE, where he guides a broad range of government and commercial clients through colocation and land acquisition purchasing.

In this excerpt from the interview, Dyer describes the changes he’s seen in the public sector as cloud security and data center operations evolve:

“The federal landscape, as it relates to data center outsourcing and leveraging commercial providers, has changed significantly in the past decade. When I started helping the government with their data center consolidation efforts a decade ago, there was a hesitancy to move to public cloud or commercial providers that housed government infrastructure off-premises from government facilities. 

Over the years, cloud security has improved, the culture within the government has changed and today, the government is looking to commercial providers as their primary and trusted partners in the IT modernization journey. We will see a significant, year-over-year increase in spending from the federal government on public cloud and outsourced infrastructure, while it simultaneously shutters its owned and operated data center facilities.”

To read the full Executive Spotlight interview with CBRE’s Stuart Dyer, visit PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can read more profiles on GovCon executives and learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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CentralSquare Names Dara Brenner, Weston Helms, Janet Haugen to Executive Team; CEO Dave Zolet Quoted
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CentralSquare Names Dara Brenner, Weston Helms, Janet Haugen to Executive Team; CEO Dave Zolet Quoted

CentralSquare Technologies has announced the addition of three new members, Dara Brenner, Weston Helms and Janet Haugen, to its executive team.

Brenner will assume the role of chief product officer, Helms will be vice president of corporate development and Janet Haugen will become an independent member of the board of directors, the government technology company said Tuesday.

“As the business grows, we are making critical investments to improve public safety, streamline public administration processes, and fuel innovation for governments and communities across the nation,” said CentralSquare CEO Dave Zolet.

Zolet, who is a four-time recipient of the Wash100 Award also cited the new team members’ “extensive and specialized expertise in product leadership, growth strategy and investment strategy.”

Brenner will leverage her 25-year history in human relations, recruitment and business, during which he led teams dealing with modernization and technology efforts. She was head of human capital management and HR/talent and products at Ultimate Software and EQUIFAX and most recently served as vice president at UKG.

Brenner said she anticipates collaborating with the CentralSquare team, building customer satisfaction and “advanc[ing] SaaS solutions that improve governments’ citizen services.”

Prior to joining CentralSquare, Helms claimed $20 billion in transactions for over 25 different global information technology, professional services and technology deals in his jobs helming corporate development for Computer Sciences Corporation and CSRA. In his last position, he was vice president and lead of transaction advisories at Wolf Den Associates.

At CentralSquare, Helms will be expected to expand the company’s revenue efforts through mergers and acquisitions, partnering with other executives and organizations as well as investments.

Haugen comes to the CentralSquare board as an experienced board of directors and audit committee member of Bentley Systems and Juniper Networks. She also spent 20 years at Unisys where she held positions such as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

The new appointments follow CentralSquare’s hire of Amir Siddiqi as chief customer officer in October 2021.

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FDIC Solicits Cloud-Based Catalog for Data Assets
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FDIC Solicits Cloud-Based Catalog for Data Assets

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has launched a solicitation for software-as-a-service that can deliver a cloud-based data catalog.

The FDIC said Friday in a SAM.gov notice it will use this catalog to discover and attain analytical insight into the corporation’s enterprise-wide data assets. The federal corporation wants to run this catalog with its Microsoft Azure Government Cloud platform.

The catalog would additionally store the assets’ metadata and deliver data governance tools for managing standards, policies, processes, controls and roles. Interested parties may submit proposals through March 22nd.

The FDIC works to supervise financial institutions, protect consumers and perform other activities that sustain the U.S. financial system. 

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IRS Launches Taxpayer Experience Office
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IRS Launches Taxpayer Experience Office

The Internal Revenue Service has created an office dedicated to delivering and improving taxpayer experience across all transactional aspects.

IRS said Friday its new Taxpayer Experience Office will support a longer-term effort to augment taxpayer services in line with a report to Congress mandated by the Taxpayer First Act.

The agency will spend the next five years focusing on priorities and activities proposed by the Taxpayer Experience Office, which will also work to determine changing industry trends and taxpayer expectations. The office is expected to expand its workforce in the coming months.

The report to Congress builds on taxpayer feedback and listed more than 100 different efforts to support taxpayers. These efforts include expanding e-File and payment options, secure two-way messaging and digital signatures. Experts who helped the government build the Taxpayer Experience Strategy also contributed to the report.

“The IRS is committed to customer experiences that meet taxpayers where they are, in the moments that matter most in people’s lives and in a way that delivers the service that the public expects and deserves,” said Ken Corbin, IRS’ chief taxpayer experience officer.

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DIU to Test Tether, Maxar, Motiv Robotic Arm Prototypes for On-Orbit Servicing Program
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DIU to Test Tether, Maxar, Motiv Robotic Arm Prototypes for On-Orbit Servicing Program

The Defense Innovation Unit has announced the prototype testing of three commercially built robotic arms aimed at enabling the on-orbit servicing of U.S. satellites.

Technologies developed under the Modularity for Space Systems program will support the repair, upgrades and refueling to reduce the costs and extend the operational life of future satellites and space platforms, DIU said Monday.

Work by contractors Tethers Unlimited, Maxar Technologies and Motiv Space Systems would address the lack of methods for keeping near obsolete and deteriorating satellites running and fixing problems arising post-launch, reducing the risk of a single issue causing an expensive space mission to fail.

“Rapid prototyping, development and integration of low-cost robotic arms and interfaces for future spacecraft has the potential to drastically reduce cost and increase capabilities by providing upgradeable, modular systems,” explained David Ryan, space portfolio program manager at DIU.

Following the prototyping phase, DIU and its contractors will evaluate the prototypes and related subsystems ahead of their planned introduction to the commercial market.

 

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CISA Wants Public Feedback on Draft Guidance for Applying Zero Trust to Enterprise Mobility
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CISA Wants Public Feedback on Draft Guidance for Applying Zero Trust to Enterprise Mobility

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has requested comments on draft federal guidance for using enterprise mobility security technologies in line with the government’s zero trust goals.

The draft Applying Zero Trust Principles to Enterprise Mobility document provides federal agencies information on how to apply zero trust principles on their mobile devices and enterprise security management capabilities, CISA said Monday.

According to the agency, mobility security applications require special consideration in any cybersecurity approach given their technological evolution and widespread use. Feedback on the draft guidance will be accepted until April 18th.

The document is part of an executive order released in May that requires members of the federal civilian executive branch to protect government information through establishing zero trust architectures.

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Adele Merritt Returns to Intelligence Community as CIO; DNI Avril Haines Quoted
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Adele Merritt Returns to Intelligence Community as CIO; DNI Avril Haines Quoted

Adele Merritt, who has held various leadership roles in the intelligence community, has been appointed to serve as the IC’s chief information officer.

She will lead ongoing efforts to modernize the community’s information technology enterprise, bolster IT cooperation and protect IT systems, the Director of National Intelligence said Monday.

“Dr. Merritt brings over 20 years of technical, analytic and policy expertise in cyber and national security operations to the role,” said DNI Avril Haines who is also a two-time Wash100 winner.

Merritt joined the National Security Agency as a mathematician for applied research, then went on to hold a range of government roles including the National Security Council’s acting senior director for intelligence programs. She also served as the Department of Energy’s principal deputy CIO for cyber.

The returning IC most recently served as a program manager for Dreamport, a cybersecurity-focused nonprofit, Fedscoop reported Monday.

The Potomac Officers Club will host its Third Annual CIO Summit on April 26 to have CIOs discuss their goals, priorities and challenges.

Adele Merritt Returns to Intelligence Community as CIO; DNI Avril Haines Quoted
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Farooq Mitha on Pentagon’s Upcoming Small Business Strategy
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Farooq Mitha on Pentagon’s Upcoming Small Business Strategy

Farooq Mitha, director of the Department of Defense’s office of small business programs, said DOD is working on a new strategy to encourage more small businesses to participate in defense contracting, Defense News reported Monday.

He said the strategy, which could be released in the spring of 2022, would guide initiatives to attract innovators, new entrants and nontraditional contractors.

“It’s going to be: How do we all work towards increasing small business participation, because we’ve seen a decline over the past decade in our prime contractors that are small ― a pretty significant decline,” Mitha said. “The bulk of it is how to do make things easier from a structure, engagement and a policy perspective.”

The new strategy is likely to offer recommendations for programs that enable the military to work with new vendors with emerging technologies, including the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

“If we want to increase the [defense industrial] base, if we want to bring in new entrants, if we want to transition new technologies [into the military], we’ve got to have stability in the programs that are meant to do these things. I think that’s been something that we’ve been laser focused on, and we’ve gotten some feedback from industry on that as well,” said Mitha.

Mitha shared his views on category management and noted that his office is examining ways to safeguard small companies from investment risk and identify set-aside contract opportunities through market research as it drafts the strategy.

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2 Agencies to Get Investments Under Technology Modernization Fund; Clare Martorana Quoted
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2 Agencies to Get Investments Under Technology Modernization Fund; Clare Martorana Quoted

The U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission and the Selective Service System will receive investments through the Technology Modernization Fund to update key platforms and safeguard personal data.

“This funding will allow the PRC to modernize internal and public-facing tools, and give their customers a better digital experience,” Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer and chair of the TMF Board as well as a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Monday.

PRC will use the investment to modernize its website and other critical systems to enable its personnel to improve oversight of the U.S. Postal Service’s operations and encourage the public to take part in the commission’s proceedings.

“And it will allow SSS to move quickly to scale technical operations to meet the nation’s needs through a cloud-first software and data architecture that protects the data of millions of customers,” Martorana added. 

SSS is responsible for registering all male U.S. citizens and immigrants, ages 18 through 25, who could be potentially enlisted for military service. The agency will use the TMF investment to improve its cybersecurity posture and protect the personal data of Selective Service registrants.

The two agencies will receive $9 million in funding through TMF, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

2 Agencies to Get Investments Under Technology Modernization Fund; Clare Martorana Quoted

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2022 CMMC Forum on May 18 to know more about updated frameworks and requirements under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Visit the POC Events page to sign up for the upcoming forum and view POC’s full calendar.

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DOD, NASA, GSA Issue Final Rule on Domestic Content Requirements
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DOD, NASA, GSA Issue Final Rule on Domestic Content Requirements

The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration have released a final rule that seeks to raise the domestic content threshold for federal procurements to 75 percent by calendar year 2029.

The rule is set to take effect on Oct. 25th and amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement an executive order that seeks to support domestic manufacturing by strengthening the use of federal procurement, according to a Federal Register notice published Monday.

In January 2021, an executive order was signed to require federal agencies to purchase U.S-made products and services as part of efforts to support U.S. businesses, manufacturers and workers and strengthen the enforcement of Buy American laws.

Under the new rule, the domestic content threshold will increase from 55 percent to 60 percent in the near term and then rise to 65 percent by calendar year 2029.

The policy will implement a fallback threshold to permit a domestic content threshold of 55 percent in cases where products that meet the higher threshold are unavailable or are of unreasonable cost.

The final rule will also provide a framework “through which higher price preferences will be applied to end products and construction material deemed to be critical or made up of critical components,” the notice reads.

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