News and Updates

GSA’s FedRAMP Celebrates 10 Years of Impact on Cloud Security—Today, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) celebrates its 10-year anniversary. On December 8, 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) signed a memo establishing FedRAMP to provide a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services. This landmark reflects GSA and FedRAMP’s commitment to protecting public and federal information through supporting IT modernization and securing IT infrastructure. Over the past ten years, the program has seen an incredible increase in the adoption of FedRAMP-authorized services and will play a critical role in improving the nation’s cybersecurity. — via General Services Administration

USAGov’s Fourth Quarter 2021 Insights—From July to September 2021, people were concerned about COVID-19-related housing and international travel as they searched USA.gov. Get more user insights from our 4th quarter infographic for fiscal year (FY) 2021. — via USA.gov

Unique Vulnerability Counts with Container Scanning—As Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) start to submit their container vulnerability scans in order to meet Container Scanning Guidance requirements, stakeholders monitoring submissions should expect to see large increases in the number of unique vulnerabilities. Learn what’s different, and the potential impact for agencies and CSPs. — via FedRAMP

Three Ways USAGov Outreach Can Help with Your Agency’s Next Campaign—Does your agency have an idea for a new marketing strategy? USAGov’s Outreach team can support your agency in all stages of your campaign. We can brainstorm with your team, discuss best practices, and try new marketing approaches to grow together in serving people. Learn how to begin partnering with us. — via USA.gov

Learn How to Create an Accessible Meeting—The GSA Government-wide IT Accessibility Program publishes guidance on how you can plan your next meeting—from selecting your venue or online platform, planning for and scheduling accommodations, ensuring the accessibility of meeting documents and materials, meeting management techniques, and more. — via Section508.gov

FAR Updated To Add Revised Section 508 Standards for Information and Communication Technology—On January 18, 2017, the U.S. Access Board issued a final rule (the Revised 508 Standards) that updated accessibility requirements covered by Section 508 for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Read more about the final FAR rule update and changes effective as of September 10, 2021. — via Section508.gov

The Weekly Ship: What It Is, Why It’s Useful, and How To Create Your Own—The weekly ship has been a staple of 18F projects for years. It is a way to engage partners, inform teammates, and reflect on our work. — via 18F

Navigating ATOs—Authority to Operate (ATO) processes work differently at different federal agencies. As a technology and design consultancy inside the United States government, 18F has worked on ATOs at many of them. We are still learning and experimenting, but there are definite patterns we have seen work well across multiple agencies. — via 18F