“President-elect Joe Biden’s proposal to inject $9 billion of new money into the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to speed Federal agency IT modernization and improve security is drawing uniformly positive reviews from across the Federal tech community, mixed with notes of caution about how the proposal will end up faring in Congress.”
“To recap: Biden is featuring the Federal tech funding proposal as part of a much larger $1.9 trillion plan that focuses on COVID-19 response and economic recovery. The centerpiece of the tech plan is the huge funding increase for TMF, which exists to finance IT modernization projects, but also requires repayment of borrowed money.”
“The proposal includes another $1.2 billion of new funding: $690 million for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to secure Federal civilian networks and support pilots of shared security and cloud services; $300 million for the General Services Administration’s Technology and Transformation Services (TTS) unit to “drive secure IT projects”; and $200 million targeted at the Federal CISO and U.S. Digital Service that will help pay for hiring of “hundreds” of additional IT experts.”
TMF Opportunities
“’Funding the TMF is a powerful lever to accelerate modernization and support agencies in building sustainable capabilities,’ former Federal CIO Suzette Kent told MeriTalk today.”
“Asked about what broad categories of projects the additional funding could help agencies get ahead on, she said that list could run the gamut of cybersecurity, digital transformation, data, AI and other automation technologies, along with workforce skills development.”
“Kent emphasized that some initiatives could span multiple agencies, including “collaboration tools that integrate or connect the government enterprise, shared services, and more efficient workforce support tools,” including areas such as retirement, security clearances, and employee on-boarding. “That is one of the biggest gaps where TMF could help,” she said, referring to projects that span multiple agencies.”
“At the same time, a knowledgeable source in Federal IT policy circles emphasized that the new TMF and agency funding proposed by President-elect Biden needs to line up with priorities of the Federal CIO office, lest the larger effort fall victim to excessive mission sprawl when implemented across numerous agencies…” Read the full article here.
Source: Biden TMF Funding Plan Draws Strong Reviews, Notes of Caution – By John Curran, January 15, 2021. MeriTalk.
