Government Regulations

GAO Urges OMB to Strengthen IT Best Practices

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Data-centric security

The Office of Management and Budget has been urged by the Government Accountability Office to adhere to nearly 40 recommendations that seek to strengthen technology-related practice implementation across the federal government, FedScoop reports.

Aside from pushing for increased OMB oversight over the utilization of FedRAMP across agencies, which would strengthen cloud-stored data security, the GAO also called for the development of federal guidelines on data inventory management.

While OMB has already committed to releasing such a guidance, the uncertainty of its final issuance will continue to pose challenges to agencies' compliance with requirements under the OPEN Government Data Act, said the report.

The OMB has also been recommended by the watchdog to provide a date for the release of guidance for determining legacy systems that need updating or replacing; help address ongoing cybersecurity workforce shortfall through a government-wide strategy; encourage intergovernmental coordination in cybersecurity evaluations; and update electronic record keeping policies.