30 Must-Read Federal IT Blogs 2017

Much has changed since the last time FedTech took stock of the internet’s must-read federal IT bloggers. The most obvious, of course, is that there is a new administration in the White House, and that has reshaped the priorities of those who work in federal technology.

The Trump administration has put a heavy emphasis on taking a risk-based approach to cybersecurity, and has also emphasized the importance of shared services. At the same time, the administration has also followed in the footsteps of the Obama administration and highlighted the need to modernize government IT.

The federal IT blog landscape has also changed with the new administration. Some blogs that had been stalwarts during the Obama era have gone defunct, such as the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog. Yet other government-run blogs have remained key pillars of the federal IT community. For a look back at past blog lists, check out our entries for 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

Be sure to bookmark this list and check back frequently to get quick access to a large repository of must-read blogs that provide timely news and in-depth analysis on key federal IT trends.

If you think we’ve missed a blog, please don’t hesitate to comment. And if your blog is one of the 30 we’ve chosen, grab a badge to display to your readers! Here, in alphabetical order, are our 2017 Must-Read Federal IT Blogs:

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18F, the federal government’s digital services organization, is still going strong in the Trump administration and has received budgetary support from the White House. The unit, now officially a part of the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services wing, is still helping agencies adopt digital services and change the way they procure and use IT. 18F’s blog covers everything from how to manage custom software development when you’re not a software engineer to modular procurement.

 @18F | Read the blog: 18f.gsa.gov/blog/

 

The Defense Department’s official science and technology blog, Armed with Science, focuses on the intersection between IT and the armed forces. The blog often focuses on leading-edge technologies such as virtual reality and 3-D printing, but also has a strong emphasis on the evolution of battlefield communications technology.

 @ArmedwScience | Read the blog: science.dodlive.mil/category/technology/

 

If you’re trying to find out what federal CIOs and other IT leaders think and where they see government technology going, look no further than Federal News Radio’s “Ask the CIO” blog. At a time when the federal IT leadership ranks are in flux, this is the definition of a must-read.

 @FedNewsRadio | Read the blog: federalnewsradio.com/category/radio-interviews/ask-the-cio/

 

The Business of Government

IBM’s Business of Government blog explores how government can operate more efficiently, with a heavy emphasis on leadership, innovation, acquisition and risk management. Contributors, who include former federal IT leaders, post items on everything from IT outsourcing to innovation in government management systems and sharing office spaces. Also, be sure to check in for its weekly roundup post, which collects the most important news for federal leaders.

 @BusOfGovernment | Read the blog: businessofgovernment.org/blogs/the-business-of-government/

 

One of the industry’s premier takes on the Pentagon’s IT priorities and challenges, C4ISRNET dives deep into the workings of the Defense Information Systems Agency, the technology the service branches are using and experimenting with, how the Defense Department thinks about cybersecurity and more.

 @C4ISRNET | Read the blog: c4isrnet.com/

 

Cisco Systems’ government blog covers all levels of government, so its coverage is not exclusive to federal IT, but the networking giant does devote quite a bit of energy to key federal technology issues, including the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity efforts, IT modernization and battlefield networks.

 @CiscoGovt | Read the blog: blogs.cisco.com/government/

 

Deloitte Insights is a forum the consultancy uses to publish distinctive, actionable and timely thought leadership. Its public-sector section focuses on many areas of keen interest to federal IT policymakers, including how artificial intelligence can help agencies save time and money, how data analytics can transform military positioning and how cognitive technologies can address the cyberworkforce shortage.

 @DeloitteInsight | Read the blog: dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/industry/public-sector.html?icid=left_public-sector

 

DHS Science and Technology Blog

The Department of Homeland Security has a large and varied mission: securing the border, responding to emergencies, and protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure and its computer networks from attacks. The agency’s Science and Technology Directorate focuses on how to best use tech to fulfill that mission and the blog is a clear reflection of that. There’s a strong emphasis on using IT security technology to protect critical infrastructure.

 @dhsscitech | Read the blog: dhs.gov/science-and-technology/blog

 

Network technology, cybersecurity, data center optimization; these topics receive the bulk of the attention when it comes to federal IT, and rightly so. However, agencies are realizing that digital user experience and how citizens use technology to interact with the government are also critically important. DigitalGov and its blog hit this sweet spot, with a large focus on how agencies can draw from user experience, social media, SEO and mobile apps to improve their digital services.

 @Digital_Gov | Read the blog: digitalgov.gov/

 

The office of the Navy’s CIO maintains this blog to share news about the service branch’s technology advancements and conferences. While the blog has a large emphasis on cybersecurity, it also offers curated federal IT news and updates on defense technology and privacy.

 @USNavy | Read the blog: doncio.navy.mil/News.aspx

 

This blog from FCW is focused entirely on keeping track of the comings and goings of senior IT leaders across the government — who is leaving an agency, who is replacing them and so forth. There has been a lot of flux in the executive IT ranks, as is expected in the first year of a new administration, and this blog helps the federal IT community stay on top of the latest personnel moves.

 @FCWnow | Read the blog: fcw.com/blogs/fcw-insider/list/blog-list.aspx

 

Brocade Government’s blog covers a wide range of relevant topics for those who operate and manage federal network technology. It’s thankfully not a sales pitch and the short posts cover everything from network automation to security and how to maintain productivity when adding new devices to a network.

 @BrocadeFed | Read the blog: community.brocade.com/t5/Federal-Insights/bg-p/FederalInsights

 

Federal Technology Insider brings together the insights of federal experts in the fields of Big Data, cloud, cybersecurity, data centers, infrastructure and mobility. The blog focuses on the needs and perspectives of actual federal IT practioners and offers a mix of best practices and in-depth analysis on the latest federal technology trends.

 @FedTechInsider | Read the blog: federaltechnologyinsider.com/

 

This is the official blog of the General Services Administration’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management program, which authorizes cloud service providers to operate across the government. The blog offers agencies best practices as they seek to navigate the FedRAMP process and also offers updates on the program, such as the recent launch of FedRAMP Tailored for low-impact Software as a Service systems.

 @FedRAMP | Read the blog: fedramp.gov/focus-on-fedramp/

 

Cybersecurity is obviously a key priority for the administration and this year has been chock-full of headlines pertaining to federal cybersecurity policy and cyberattacks around the globe. GovInfoSecurity helps federal IT security pros stay on top of all of the latest news and trends affecting federal cyber policy and technology. The site has several sub-blogs, including ones covering government efforts to protect citizens' privacy, fraud incidents and securing healthcare data.

 @GovInfoSecurity | Read the blog: govinfosecurity.com/

 

Written by a collection of analysts at immixGroup, this blog offers sharp insight and analysis into key federal IT policies and trends, including the IT needs of specific agencies. The site remains a valuable resource for contractors and those who follow the government’s technology investments.

 @immixGroup_Inc | Read the blog: blog.immixgroup.com/

 

This blog gives a sharp and unique perspective on government IT acquisition and is a great destination for information and updates on the government’s efforts in category management and innovations in IT procurement. The blog is written by Kay T. Ely, assistant commissioner of the Office of Information Technology Category at the General Services Administration, with occasional contributions from Mary Davie, who was recently promoted to be the deputy commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service.

 @GSA_ITC | Read the blog: gsablogs.gsa.gov/technology/

 

You don’t have to look far for news stories with stats from IDC Government Insights or input from its analysts. Experts from the marketing research firm delve into issues that matter most to the federal IT community. Research director Shawn McCarthy does an especially good job of going beyond the news and explaining the implications, especially about the federal IT budget and data center consolidation.

 @IDC | Read the blog: idc-community.com/government/smart_government

 

Inside Cybersecurity is a subscription-based premium news service for policy professionals who need to know about evolving federal cybersecurity policy. The site delivers daily news and analysis on the intersection of cyber policy, Congress and the executive branch.

 @InsideCyber  | Read the blog: insidecybersecurity.com/

 

This blog, sponsored by GovTech, is written by Dan Lohrmann, an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author. The posts are highly topical and insightful and offer nuance analysis of federal cybersecurity policy and cybersecurity more broadly.

 @govcso  | Read the blog: govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/

 

Although this blog from the software giant focuses on state and local government in addition to the federal realm, it offers insights into how the federal IT market is changing through greater adoption of cloud and collaboration technologies.

 @Microsoft_Gov  | Read the blog: Microsoft.com/OnGovernment

 

Part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ network of blogs, Net Politics focuses on the international implications of cybersecurity policy, and is a key place to turn to look at how federal cyber policy is affected by other countries.

 @CFR_org | Read the blog: cfr.org/blog/net-politics

 

This blog from federal technology news website Nextgov provides insights from tech experts on the state of government technology. The blog often features posts from executives at key vendors and consultancies that work with agencies.

 @Nextgov | Read the blog: nextgov.com/technology-news/tech-insider/

 

For the inside scoop on White House cybersecurity policy, cyber-related moves in Congress and how the tech industry interacts with both, Politico’s daily download is a must-read.

 @MorningCybersec | Read the blog: politico.com/tipsheets/morning-cybersecurity

 

Since 2009, NASA has released tens of thousands of data sets and dozens of application programming interfaces to the public in response to a directive from the Office of Management and Budget. The blog offers updates on NASA’s open data initiatives.

 @openNASA | Read the blog: open.nasa.gov/blog/

 

Symantec’s Government Online User Group is an area for users to exchange information and ideas relating to the federal government, state and local government, and defense and intelligence. The blog focuses on how the federal budget and policy impacts IT security.

 @SymantecGov | Read the blog: symantec.com/connect/groups/symantec-government-online-user-group

 

The Brookings Institution is a venerable Washington think tank and it regularly offers analysis on technology policy. Its TechTank blog focuses on new developments in science and technology policy and how they affect healthcare, education, economic development, innovation and governance. The blog often focuses on the intersection between the private sector and government tech policy.

 @BrookingsInst | Read the blog: brookings.edu/blog/techtank/

 

Within the Washington IT community, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association is well known for putting on events that highlight how the military branches are approaching tech policy. AFCEA’s SIGNAL blog explores how government and industry can work together on technology, mirroring a key goal of the organization. The blog offers a variety of posts on cybersecurity, defense and intelligence as well as a wealth of multimedia resources such as webinars and white papers.

 @signalmag | Read the blog: afcea.org/content/?q=signal-blog

 

VAntage Point is the official blog of the Veterans Affairs Department and offers stories from around VA and the veteran community. The blog’s tech coverage focuses heavily on telehealth and how mobile technology can improve veterans’ healthcare.

 @DeptVetAffairs | Read the blog: blogs.va.gov/VAntage/category/technology/

 

The Government Accountability Office provide a little more context about its work on its official blog than it can offer on its other social media platforms. The blog has separate sections for IT issues and technology assessments. GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, helps assess how effectively agencies are implementing tech so this blog is a must-read for anyone interested in the progress agencies are making on IT initiatives.

 @USGAO  | Read the blog: blog.gao.gov/