New TMF investments support NASA, DOL modernization and cybersecurity efforts

NASA will receive new funding for cybersecurity and performance improvements and the Department of Labor will be able to streamline its ability to offer services and benefits for injured and ill workers under new investments announced Tuesday from the Technology Modernization Fund. 

The TMF will provide NASA with nearly $6 million to automate network management, standardize network configurations and modernize legacy infrastructure across all of the space agency’s locations, according to a press release from the General Services Administration. The funds would also allow NASA to implement cybersecurity requirements, as the agency’s interactions with sensitive data makes it a “prime target for hackers and other entities,” the press release stated.

The DOL, meanwhile, will use $42 million in TMF-provided funds to undertake a “significant” modernization effort that would replace the agency’s Integrated Federal Employee Compensation System, or iFECS, with a cloud-based system that utilizes automation technologies, according to the release. This would streamline processes that injured and ill workers interact with and further protect those services. 

The GSA noted that the DOL is looking to enhance the efficiency of services and make them less prone to “cybersecurity, operational and financial risk.”

“These TMF investments demonstrate the diversity and reach of the TMF in driving innovation and impact forward for the American public,” Clare Martorana, the federal CIO and TMF Board chair, said in the statement. “From strengthening NASA spacecraft control to supporting injured and ill workers through the DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.”

NASA is facing “significant” security threats that are attributed to the value of agency data, per the release, and the TMF funds will enable the space agency to accelerate cybersecurity and operational upgrades two years earlier than originally anticipated. This would also support the collection of additional telemetry data to align with federal cybersecurity mandates.

Similarly, the DOL is looking to bolster data security with the funds due to the sensitive information surrounding federal employee health records and annual claims. The shift to a new, cloud-based system “promises” to reduce claim adjudication times and enhance customer interactions.

Further, the agency reported that its “aging” infrastructure and “complex” workflows were responsible for hindered case management for workers that are ill and/or injured.

The latest round of investments follows the recently released appropriations package, which clawed back $100 million from the TMF, deflating support for government IT modernization projects that the fund received through the American Rescue Plan.

“Unlocking the potential of government through technology modernization requires strategic investment and a commitment to driving meaningful change,” Larry Bafundo, acting TMF executive director, said in the release. “TMF is pivotal in enabling federal agencies to invest in their own ability to adapt, evolve, and better serve their citizens in a rapidly changing world.”