Marc Richardson

As modern life creates vast amounts of relevant data, federal agencies need to be able to harness it towards protecting the nation and improving the lives of its people. Booz Allen is helping missions across government achieve this. Where is your agency on the path to data enablement?

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did government Programs of Record just encounter their "great unbundling" moment??? The government speed of innovation is often encumbered by rules it is trying to follow. This maze makes it difficult for innovation to enter the government. Here the court agreed that commercial items vendors could make a claim against the government, even when their only way into the government is through a program of record already awarded to a prime system integrator. A lot is left to play out but this would be a watershed moment. What this practically means to me is the government will need to again focus on whether commercial or modified commercial items can meet a requirement. It will also force program owners to assess program risk in their build vs. buy decisions as if upheld, programs could be mired in litigation should a commercial company feel the prime is pursuing developmental work where their solution meets the requirements. In practice, I see this leading towards smaller more nimble programs where these decisions can be better localized and defended -- particularly in the age of #GenAI where the market is evolving so fast. Bundling requirements is authorized, but we may have hit our limit... enter the "great unbundling." Happy weekend all! https://lnkd.in/gjtDUxeS

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The Department of Defense released a 400-page document, "Zero Trust Overlays," which details one overlay for each of the seven pillars in the DoD Zero Trust Strategy, plus an overlay for the enablers. Learn more about this new guidance. https://bit.ly/4cb3XKU

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Key considerations on ZT overlays; - rethink the perimeter - multiple attributes , multiple verifications #zerotrust #security

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Leverage industry events, webinars, and podcasts as prime vehicles to share your knowledge and elevate your #GovCon thought leadership! Collaborate with your teams to refine their presentation skills, aiming for keynote opportunities. Pitch your consultants to conference organizers to establish them as sought-after speakers in the industry. Learn how to strategically leverage these platforms and amplify your thought leadership presence, showcase your company's expertise, and attract valuable connections and opportunities >>  https://lnkd.in/eAnEMZGS  #GovernmentMarketing #ThoughtLeadership #ContentStrategy #PublicRelations #Webinars #Podcasts 

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To win federal best value tradeoff proposals, you need to have the best and possibly the most strengths (Strength-Based Winning®). This class sets the framework for how the government evaluates proposals and what constitutes a strength to government evaluators. Attendees learn how to perform Strength-Based Capture, Strength-Based Solutioning®, and Strength-Focused Proposal Reviews, as well as write proposal text that highlights those strengths. Click here to learn more about the class: https://lnkd.in/ehuMzCQn #Bids #capture #proposals #bidmanagement #capturemangement #proposalmanagement #training #onlinetraining #skilldevelopment

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The new partnership between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and United States Department of Defense aims to provide better access to healthcare for veterans in Virginia, which has one of the fastest growing veteran populations in the country. Key points: - The Hampton VA Medical Center currently has a 45-day wait to see a doctor, and the Portsmouth VA Clinic has a 2-month wait. This new clinic at Joint Base Langley-Eustis will help offset those delays. - Up to 10,000 veterans are expected to receive care at the base clinic each year. It will primarily serve veterans in the local area, but veterans across the state can also utilize the services. - In addition to routine medical care, the clinic will offer mental health counseling, specialty women's health services, and diagnostic lab tests. There will also be a separate dental clinic on the base. - This is part of the VA's broader efforts to form more partnerships with military installations to supplement the care provided at VA hospitals and clinics, which are often aging and in need of upgrades. - The new clinic opening is timely, as over 20,000 additional veterans across Virginia have enrolled in VA healthcare in the past year due to the PACT Act expanding benefits for those exposed to toxic substances. #VeteransAffairs #MilitaryHealth #VeteransServices #VeteranSupport #VeteranCare

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An effective AI strategy and governance framework can foster a positive culture that embraces AI within your organization. Learn how Guidehouse Technology Solutions helped a leading federal executive department of the U.S. government devise a strategy and implementation plan that successfully drove enterprise adoption of AI, created a robust structure to govern AI, and cultivated a transparent, collaborative organizational culture.

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With all due respect to @RonWyden, @FTC, and @SECgov, skip the investigations and just break up @UHC Change Healthcare for the good of the U.S. consumer. https://buff.ly/4bKlrOa #UHC #FTC #SEC #lokx

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#Cyberattacks against the #healthcaresector are on the rise, and the industry has already faced multiple major attacks this year. In February, UnitedHealth-owned technology firm Change Healthcare was hit by a #ransomwareattack, disrupting key tasks like #claimsprocessing, payments to providers, eligibility checks and #prescriptionfulfillment. Months later, Ascension, a large Catholic #healthsystem that runs 140 #hospitals across the country, reported it was facing its own #ransomware attack. Facilities have been forced to divert #ambulances, some #pharmacies can’t fill prescriptions and providers might not be able to access #electronichealthrecords. Attacks against #hospitals can have severe consequences for #patientcare, and the fallout from a cyberattack can sometimes last for weeks. In one example early this year, it took Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago about a month to restore its Epic #EHR after an attack forced the provider to take its #computersystems offline. 

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Last week, at SAIC's ⚽ Kickstart Conference, I heard a reference to our "VUCA" world. This acronym, which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous characterizes the nature of our as-is and to-be societal world 🌏 challenges. I would assert that one "link" which we all share in this LinkedIn community is the need to become masters of data curation and analysis to inform our views of the world and make 👩‍🎓 smart decisions that help us navigate our VUCA world. My current focus is on the 2030 Census Decennial and associated 👨‍🚒 👮‍♂️ 👴 👩‍🎤 👩‍🚀 citizen experiences. To get a little smarter, I wanted to consume some of the rich data made available to the U.S. public. You can do this too! 1st, join the Developer’s Forum by going to: https://lnkd.in/dZCMVxGV 📊 Once set up, select the App Gallery. At the top of the list is the Boston Planning & Development Agency My Census Viewer: https://lnkd.in/dQJ8eaBD 🗾 From this page, there are two primary maps you can select from to view demographic data. I selected the 2020 Decennial Census map. This is clickable by tract or neighborhood. Once you make your selection you can view the data for that area. Some quick clicking allows you to detect which areas are most heavily populated by students. Further investigation of these areas also shows the 🌈diversity of these populations. These data are very interesting -- but what if we could ask the interface a question such as "Please visualize neighborhood diversity by showing the most diverse neighborhoods as blue and the least diverse as orange." What if we could ask the data smart questions and see data representations that inform our answers? Cool, right? SAIC is working on just this sort of solution! Text me with your ideas about what questions you might ask a demographic database. What can't you see that you want to see? Why would this help answer important questions? I believe that measuring our population, and using these data to inform decisions positively contributes to our ability to address our VUCA world. And, if you are still curious about VUCA, look up this YouTube Video: Leading in a World of Uncertainty with MIT’s Deborah Ancona. I’ve also created a link to her 2022 update on my LinkedIn page. #Data #Solutions for our #VUCA world!

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[Hawaii Gov - CIO Reporting Structure] I recently read about the new legislation awaiting Governor Josh Green's signature, which proposes significant changes to the reporting structure of Hawaii's Chief Information Officer (CIO). Senate Bill 2516, which positions the CIO's office under the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), presents both opportunities and challenges for Hawaii's digital transformation. ~ Government Technology '24 Key Points: - Operational Alignment vs. Strategic Autonomy: The bill aims to resolve structural ambiguities by aligning the CIO's office within DAGS. While this could streamline administrative processes, it potentially limits the CIO’s strategic autonomy, a critical factor for driving state-wide digital transformation. - Importance of Enterprise-Wide Vision: Inspired by Isaac Sacolick, the role of the CIO is pivotal in orchestrating an enterprise-wide IT strategy. Reducing the CIO’s direct line to the governor could hinder the state's ability to innovate and respond agilely to emerging technological challenges and opportunities. - Balancing Control and Innovation: Critics, including former CIO Doug Murdock, argue that the new structure might prioritize operational control over innovation. Sacolick emphasizes that digital leaders must have the freedom to innovate and collaborate across all levels to implement effective digital solutions. - Organizations like the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Public Technology Institute (PTI) have highlighted the importance of CIO reporting relationships and their potential impact on digital service delivery and innovation. - The Need for Inclusive Review: Reflecting Sacolick’s advocacy and other organization agility thought-leaders, for continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement, it’s crucial to further study the implications of this legislative change. Engaging the Hawaii IT Steering Committee to evaluate and recommend the best governance structure would ensure a balanced approach. Reflections: A governance structure that empowers the CIO with both the authority and flexibility to lead Hawaii's digital transformation is crucial. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, has underscored the need for CIOs to have autonomy and a direct reporting line to the highest levels of government leadership. This autonomy is crucial for CIOs to drive innovation, enhance citizen services, and streamline operations through the effective utilization of AI and other emerging technologies note: Hawaii achieved an overall grade of B+ in a Digital States Survey #HawaiiGov #CIO #HawaiiTech #DigitalTransformation #ITGovernance #Innovation #StarCIO #Leadership #OperationalExcellence #EnterpriseIT #GovernmentTech #DigitalStrategy #Digitaltrailblazers #OrganizationalAgility #BeTheChangeHawaii

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Seeing this, these days, is highly disappointing. As a CIO that did NOT report to the Governor, but having other CIO positions where I did have a direct reporting relationship to the executive, the value proposition of the IT leader is clearly more influential to the organization direction, choice of innovation tools and direct impact on citizen solutions. Having the CIO down the food chain will require much more lobbying for what's good and right for the organization. In some cases, this fully diminishes the ability to be a valued disrupter and changes the course of IT leadership back into an operational, maintenance role. I hope any state/governmental body takes a good hard look at what can be accomplished when the CIO has a seat at the leadership table. #CIO #cioinleadership #cioreporting

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Check out our recent Podcast with Intels Steve Orrin, Federal CTO

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🏥💻👾 What we learned from 4+ hours of Congressional testimony from UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty yesterday about the Change Healthcare cyberattack: ► The compromised data may involve records on 1 in 3 Americans ► UnitedHealth faces 450,000 attempted cyber intrusions a year, or one every 70 seconds ► Intruders got into Change through a login that wasn't protected by multifactor authentication. UnitedHealth still doesn't know why that server wasn't protected by MFA (which was against the company's policy) ► Change Healthcare ran on "legacy" technology including some systems that were 40 years old ► Hackers also breached Change Healthcare's backup/recovery systems, which delayed the time to recover ► UnitedHealth is rebuilding much of Change Healthcare's infrastructure from scratch ► Witty confirmed the company paid a $22 million bitcoin ransom to the hackers ► Both Republicans and Democrats expressed concern about the size and power of UnitedHealth and said the company needed to do more to support providers hurt by the hack ► Investors shrugged. UNH shares were unchanged yesterday Read more -->

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US Gov Depts to appoint CAIOs: Incorporating a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) with a CTO and CIO requires more than adding roles; it's about strategic alignment and synergy. The key is not the number of executives but their ability to collaborate effectively. A CAIO must enhance, not complicate, the dynamic between technology leaders. Clear roles, open communication, and focused objectives ensure that meetings among the CEO, CTO, CIO, and CAIO drive the organization forward, leveraging AI technologies to complement overall strategy and operational efficiency. #CEO #AI #CTO #CIO #australia 123.EXPERT

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There are some excellent tips here for small businesses looking to work directly with U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

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