The Department of Homeland Security says it intends to hire 200 new cybersecurity professionals by July as the Biden administration aims to curb ransomware attacks affecting U.S. corporations, as well as foreign espionage operations. In a speech, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the cyber recruiting was part of “the most significant hiring initiative” that DHS has undertaken in its 18-year history. Sean Lyngaas is on the case.

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Remote work could take many forms as campuses reopen

Just as in other industries, higher education institutions’ plans on how and when to bring employees back to the office depend largely on the individual employees, higher education leaders said Tuesday during an online panel hosted by the consulting firm Deloitte. Leaders will need to balance allowing employees flexibility with making sure there are structures in place to encourage collaboration and assess productivity. Emily Bamforth has the EdScoop story.

Code for America gets $1 million from Knight Foundation

The Knight Foundation announced Tuesday that it’s awarding $1 million to seven affiliates of the civic-tech group Code for America. The donation, which will be split across the seven chapters, comes just as Code for America holds its annual national conference, coming off a year in which many of its members plunged themselves into addressing the technological needs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Benjamin Freed has more at StateScoop.

Awards for digital ID work

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers on Tuesday honored Colorado’s public safety director, Stan Hilkey, for his work in developing Colorado’s digital identification system. NASCIO gave Hilkey, who has led the state’s public safety department since 2014, its 2021 Technology Champion Award for ushering in a digital ID platform that enables residents to use a virtual card on their phone as legal proof of age, identity and address at some traffic stops, as well as an ever-growing list of bars and other state agencies. The virtual ID is available in the state app, which also allows residents to renew their driver’s and generate fishing licenses, for example. StateScoop's Ryan Johnston has more.

Job of the Day

Program Manager |Department of Homeland Security - Agency Wide

The incumbent serves as a Program Manager located within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Operations Support (OS), CBP Watch. This position serves as a specialist and provides technical support to Emergency Management professionals on continuity programs requiring application of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess complex management and program processes and systems. See this job and others here.