Author Archive
Adam Mazmanian
Adam Mazmanian is executive editor of Nextgov/FCW. Before joining the editing team, Mazmanian was an FCW staff writer covering Congress, governmentwide technology policy and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to joining FCW, Mazmanian was technology correspondent for National Journal and served in a variety of editorial roles at B2B news service SmartBrief. Mazmanian has contributed reviews and articles to the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, Newsday, New York Press, Architect Magazine and other publications.
Workforce
Get to know the 2023 Rising Stars
This year's class of Rising Stars has been selected both for their accomplishments over the past year and for their leadership potential.
- By Elizabeth Daigneau and Adam Mazmanian
Workforce
Rising Stars nominations extended to October 28
Nominations for the 2023 Rising Stars program are being extended. Please help us spotlight innovators across federal, state and local and governments, as well as up-and-coming talent at contracting firms.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Workforce
Who are your rising stars?
Nominations are open for the 2023 Rising Stars program. We're looking to spotlight innovators across federal, state and local governments and up-and-coming talent at contracting firms.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Digital Government
Mobile Driver's Licenses, Digital Credentials Can Protect Against Identity Theft
Standards for mobile licenses and credentials top the wish list of trade groups looking to steer the Biden administration’s action on combating identity theft and fraud.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
Latest TMF awards underscore cybersecurity
Of the seven new Technology Modernization Fund awards announced Sept 29, four are dedicated to improving cybersecurity, primarily through the transition to zero-trust solutions.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Digital Government
CDC eyes electronic verification of staff vaccinations
CDC is looking for a way to authenticate COVID-19 vaccine data on its employees and to provide proof of recent tests for employees traveling abroad.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
CISA chief floats fines to compel threat info sharing
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly told lawmakers that fines may help enable disclosure compliance and enforcement.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
Census mishandled 2020 hack, IG says
The Bureau missed opportunities to mitigate a critical vulnerability, resulting in the exploitation of remote-access servers, the agency’s inspector general reported.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Infrastructure
Microsoft unwraps top secret cloud
Microsoft announced its top secret, air-gapped Azure cloud has received authorization to operate and are "generally available" for national security workloads.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
OMB issues initial instructions for 'critical software' protection
Agencies now have guidance on securing critical software, as required by the Biden administration’s May executive order on cybersecurity.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
CISA launches vulnerability disclosure platform
The federal civilian enterprisewide VDP platform offers agencies a centrally managed system to gather vulnerability information from security researchers.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
TSA tightens cyber rules for pipelines
A new directive requires operators of “critical” pipelines to review their current cybersecurity architecture, implement mitigation measures against known threats to IT and operational technology systems and establish plans to recover from a cyberattack.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
FBI wants more help from hacked companies
Without regular, prompt and transparent participation of the private sector, the FBI will “have a heck of a time winning this conflict," Director Chris Wray told Senate appropriators.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
CISA lacks insights into agency network defenses
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency doesn’t have the data to determine if agencies are segmenting and segregating their networks, according to CISA acting Director Brandon Wales.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Infrastructure
Lawmakers seek new probe into AWS JEDI collusion
Letters from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Attorney General Merrick Garland and acting Defense Department Inspector General Sean O’Donnell asking for information, documents and, in the case of the Justice Department, a probe into possible anticompetitive behavior on the part of Amazon Web Services.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Infrastructure
Court will hear JEDI political interference case against Trump
A complaint of political inference by former President Donald Trump in the Defense Department’s award of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud computing contract to Microsoft in 2019 may now proceed.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
White House preps new requirements for industrial control system security
In the wake of breach into a water treatment plant in Oldmar, Fla., the Biden administration plans to issue an executive order focused on the industrial control systems.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Management
White House taps Robin Carnahan for top GSA spot
Robin Carnahan, formerly Missouri's secretary of state and the lead of state and local government practice at 18F, is the Biden administration's pick to lead the General Services Administration.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Infrastructure
AWS again challenges JEDI award
Amazon Web Services is taking another run at getting the court to set aside the Pentagon’s 10-year, $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract award to Microsoft.
- By Adam Mazmanian
Cybersecurity
2020 vote was 'most secure in American history,' election council says
The Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council said that "[t]here is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
- By Adam Mazmanian