MeriTalk caught up with Fran Trentley, the vice president for Global Security and Government Services at Akamai, during the 2016 Akamai Government Forum in Washington, D.C. […]

Catch up on some reading this weekend. Here are a few interesting items from MeriTalk.

As the 2016 election grows closer, IT pros are wondering when the Presidential candidates will tackle ongoing cyber security concerns and questions. CBS News reports, “Fifty-five percent of information security professionals believe cyber security should be a key issue in the 2016 election.” But is it?

Blue Coat’s Chief Operating Officer, Michael Fey, prompts five cyber questions each candidate should consider.

The White House’s proposed $3.1 billion IT Modernization Fund has but a 50-50 chance of finding its way into legislation this year….New role and a loophole at 18F….And an assessment of President Obama’s cybersecurity net.

In a guest commentary, Richard Beutel at Cyrrus Analytics says the Federal government needs the IT Modernization Fund to be used as seed corn to accelerate the agencies off of fossil computers.

The pressure is on for agencies to make the move to cloud – just 13 percent of Feds say they can deploy new systems as fast as required. However, agencies know cloud is here to stay. When it comes down to it, Feds are optimistic – 70 percent say increasing their cloud adoption pace will improve IT’s ability to innovate.

NASA landed its newest spacecraft—the Starship Incredulity—at the Rayburn House Office Building and NASA CIO Renee Wynn had the audacity to report that not a single investment in the agency’s planned $731 million in technology programs is high risk….Get ready for another round of hard-hitting congressional questioning, this time about the government’s addiction to legacy IT systems that continue to drain billions of dollars of taxpayer money away from new investments and modernization accounts.

Catch up on some reading this weekend. Here are a few interesting items from MeriTalk.

Imagine a world with connected citizens and community engagement empowered by innovative technology. This is a place with open dialogue between police and their citizens and between departments. This isn’t a utopian world; this type of connected community can be realized today. Through the use of open data powered by the AWS cloud, police departments can securely share and collaborate, enabling the future of policing.

FedRAMP is not accelerating the path to the cloud for Federal agencies as quickly as anticipated. But, recognizing potential saving opportunities and significant operational and efficiency benefits, Feds are ready to move. A research analyst at Deltek stated, “Fiscal 2016 will be a year when cloud spending picks up greater speed…”

It’s time to clear the most significant barrier to cloud adoption – security concerns.