ADI urges OMB to release final TIC 3.0 policy

ADI urges OMB to release final TIC 3.0 policy

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By John Wood, Chairman

As part of our mission to advocate for greater innovation in government technology circles, the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) recently wrote federal CIO Suzette Kent to urge accelerated release of the final Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 policy.

We cited several reasons this updated policy is needed and should be released as soon as possible:

  1. It removes barriers to cloud and modern technology adoption by ensuring the TIC initiative remains agile while streamlining and automating verification processes;
  2. It places new TIC 3.0 Use Cases at the center of OMB’s Cloud Smart policy, adding new ways for federal agencies to connect outside of the traditional methods of a Trusted Internet Connection Access Provider (TICAP) or Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS); these new Use Cases will be “reviewed and updated on a continuous basis,” and will be used for pilot projects within federal agencies;
  3. It calls on DHS to “streamline and automate processes to validate agency compliance with TIC Use Cases,” which is a critical component to an effective TIC implementation; and
  4. It requires agency CIOs to maintain accurate inventories of their agency network connections, information that would be critical in the event of a government-wide cybersecurity incident response.

An even more time sensitive issue is that, until TIC 3.0 is finalized, federal agencies cannot use any FY 2019 funding they may have designated for TIC 3.0 pilots and orders. The fiscal year is rapidly winding down. Unless such funding is used before October 1, those projects will likely remain on hold, particularly if agencies are funded for some time after that date under a continuing resolution. In fact, without a finalized policy in place, agency funding might instead be allocated to older TIC/MTIPS solutions – none of which are relevant to a “Cloud Smart” agency program plan or any agency truly wanting IT modernization.  

The final version of TIC 3.0 is needed to help the federal government meet the objectives of President Trump’s Cloud Smart policy and to better protect federal systems and networks. ADI encourages OMB to issue this final policy without further delay.

-JBW