A Flurry of Technology Activity for the Labor Department
The cybersecurity order requires agencies to make quick progress on implementing encryption and multifactor authentication, and is driving a shift to zero-trust architectures for security across the government.
“This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. We’ve been running this for a while,” Ahluwalia said at a MeriTalk event, according to FCW. “But now we have to use those tools, whether it’s data loss prevention, whether it’s two-factor authentication, whether it’s the [Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation] program … I think this just brings it together, and creates this urgency and impetus to deliver that capability.”
The cybersecurity order has forced agencies to accelerate their progress on modernizing security, and has also put a spotlight on training, the need to scale modern technologies and enabling agencies to hire more easily, according to Ahluwalia.
In addition to receiving sufficient funding through congressional appropriations and vehicles such as the TMF, Ahluwalia said staffing and “skilling up” IT and cybersecurity officials so that they can work with newer technologies is critical, according to FCW.