FCW Insider: August 25, 2021

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Meet the Federal 100

Read all the profiles of this year's winners, from Craig Abod to Eliana Zavala.

Comment: Why VA must keep Vista healthy

The moratorium on further Vista investment put in place three years ago creates major strategic issues for the Department of Veterans Affairs as the agency looks to put Cerner's commercial electronic health record system in place.

TMF, cyber EO drive modernization at Labor, CIO says

The unprecedented investment in IT and cybersecurity resources have provided agencies like the Department of Labor with a historic opportunity to tackle some of their loftiest modernization plans.

Quick Hits

*** Comcast is joining the ranks of network vendors under the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract with its acquisition of Defined Technologies, a subsidiary of MicroTech, Washington Technology reported.

*** A new report from the Government Accountability Office reveals how facial recognition is beginning to get implemented in government services, with agencies most often using the biometric technology for digital access and domestic law enforcement while planning to use new systems through fiscal year 2023.

*** Overall participant satisfaction with the Thrift Savings Plan held steady at 89%, according to a 2021 participant satisfaction survey reviewed during an Aug. 24 meeting of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. Satisfaction with access to MyAcount, the portal for online access to TSP accounts, dropped by 6% to 78%. Survey respondents rated annual statements, MyAccount and information on TSP's website as most helpful when asked about the usefulness of agency communication channels. Finally, 62% of respondents said that they were likely to use a TSP app, which is in the works as part of a recordkeeping contract with Accenture Federal Services.

NEXT STORY: Federal 100: Ron Bewtra