Blog
We held the inaugural event of The Washington DC Bots & Chatbots Meetup on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at the Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library. It was great! We had a small group, but the group was really engaged and energetic. We started by making introductions, and sharing our interests in chatbots. We then proceeded with the...
This week, FedRAMP published two questions and answers for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and Important Stakeholder Information: Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) Q: Can a CSP mark a control as both “Implemented” and “Alternative Implemented” in the System Security Plan (SSP)? A: Usually not. If a control is fully implemented, then only the “Implemented” box is checked....
This week, FedRAMP published questions and answers, one for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and one for Thrid Party Assesment Organizations (3PAOs): Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) Q: If I am uploading an Agency-authorized cloud service package for review/approval by FedRAMP, how do I ensure I am uploading all the required documents? A: The FedRAMP Documentation Checklist (found on FedRAMP.gov...
This week, FedRAMP published two tips for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs): TIP: Deviation Requests (DR) should be written as stand-alone documents, telling the entire story of the need for the DR and how the DR is implemented. The Deviation Request is the mechanism used by the CSP to document and justify a deviation from full...
This week, FedRAMP published two tips for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs): TIP: In the “Description of Risk to the System” section of the Deviation Request, do NOT copy and paste the vulnerability description from the source. It is necessary to explain the vulnerability within the context of the system and the potential risk should a...
This week, FedRAMP published one tip for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs): TIP: When submitting the Annual Assessment (AA) package, the final Security Assessment Plan (SAP), Security Assessment Review (SAR), System Security Plan (SSP) and Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) documents must be submitted no later than the P-ATO anniversary date. CSP’s should plan carefully...
Are Government Agencies Using Chatbots? While the private sector has embraced chatbots very quickly, the public sector has been slower to adopt this disruptive technology. Despite the slower adoption, there are some examples of government agencies using chatbots and enjoying the many benefits chatbots provide as a result. Here are 4 government agencies using chatbots right...
Can Government Chatbots Increase Customer Engagement? Government agencies always need to find ways to do more with less. And as the population continues to grow, agencies need to simultaneously increase the level of services they provide to the public. To that end, chatbots offer a great opportunity for government agencies to increase engagement with customers with new...
So Ummm… What is a Chatbot? 2017 is the year of the chatbot revolution–chatbots are starting to pop up all over Facebook, retail websites, and even federal/state/local government websites. This begs the question: what exactly is a chatbot? Do you need a primer to explain what a chatbot is and how it can help your...
Can Chatbots Perform Government Services Better Than Humans? Chatbots are excellent at performing well-defined, repetitive, and tedious tasks that require simple user input. In fact, chatbots are so good at these tasks, they can perform them better than humans can! While chatbots will never completely replace the human element at government agencies, technology has reached a point...