Technology
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Small companies won't feel effect of lowered contractor pay cap
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS's GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
Energy modernizing IT in layers with mobile at the top
Bob Brese, the agency's CIO, said cloud service and security operations center will help make the move to smartphones and tablet computers easier.
December 20, 2012 (Encore presentation January 31, 2013)
OMB delaying budget passback guidance, creating uncertainty
The White House typically gives agencies both funding and policy updates for the upcoming budget request by Thanksgiving. This year OMB decided to hold off on passback guidance because of the current fiscal negotiations with Congress. Several senior agency officials said this lag will compress the timeline to respond to the information and require them to prepare for something that may never happen.
DHS issues $6B RFQ for continuous monitoring tools, services
The blanket purchase agreement lists 15 tools and 11 service areas that DHS wants vendors to provide to improve agency cybersecurity.
Watchdog to examine EPA use of alias emails
A government watchdog is looking into Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson's use of alias email accounts to conduct official business.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 19, 2012
Defense analyst Jim McAleese reviews the Defense Authorization Bill agreed on by both the Senate and the House yesterday. OPM Director John Berry says proposed rules to implement phased retirement are on the fast track. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) discusses changes that will make it easier for feds to telework. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) talks about benefits that will help retain federal employees. Vivian Reifberg of McKinsey & Co. talks about why the current administrative transition is so important. Alex Bolton of The Hill discusses the fiscal cliff negotiations.
Honeystick Project? Zero Day? BYOD?
Gigi Schumm, vice president and general manager Public Sector of Symantec, talks about computer security.
December 18, 2012
Oracle 2Q earnings rise 18 pct to top Street view
Snapping out of a summertime lull, Oracle's latest quarter demonstrated that companies have been splurging on software and other technology as the year comes to a close, despite uncertainty about the economy's prospects.
Online Chat: Charlie Armstrong, CIO, CBP
Federal News Radio hosted an online chat with Charlie Armstrong, assistant commissioner and chief information officer at Customs and Border Protection. If you missed it live, view an archived version of the chat here.
E-Government Act helped usher in a new approach to federal IT
The 10-year-old law created a centralized oversight and advocate in OMB for IT management and programs. It also focused on making the government more citizen-centered and having agencies collaborate on delivering services to the public.
Agencies describe roadblocks to wider mobile adoption
The federal government is on a quest to provide high-quality agency data to the public through a variety of digital avenues. But standing in the path of agencies' ability to provide government data "anytime, anywhere and on any device" are a number of potential roadblocks, according to a series of new reports from the Federal Chief Information Officers' Council.
Census to offer Internet option in gov't surveys
For the first time, the Census Bureau is giving U.S. households a chance to respond to government surveys over the Internet, part of a bid to save costs and boost sagging response rates in a digital age. The new online option will supplement the traditional census mail-out operation. It is a major shift for the agency, which has relied almost exclusively on paper forms since 1970 but is now moving toward a more Internet-based system after spending a record $13 billion on the 2010 census.
Joint Chiefs to crack down on military IT stovepipes
A new process promises more advance word on what the Pentagon wants from its military services, but demands they comply with common architectures. DoD said it is learning from development mistakes of the past.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 14, 2012
Khem Sharma discusses the Small Business Administration's plans to raise size standards for companies in two groups. Dr. Murray Lumpkin of the FDA talks about the close coordination between two countries. Stuart Delery explains how the Justice Department recovered $5 billion under the False Claims Act last year.
Army 'to paint a picture' of force readiness for commanders
Lt. Col. Bobby Saxon, the division chief for the Army Enterprise Management Decision Support system, said a new dashboard will present data in a more user-friendly way for senior leaders to make decisions about warfighters.
December 13, 2012
GSA expands discounted commodity IT program
The General Services Administration announced Thursday it had awarded 43 blanket-purchase agreements to small businesses to provide discounted commodity IT through the agency's National Information Technology Commodity Program (NITCP). The NITCP is designed to provide agencies a one-stop shop for the most commonly purchased, low-cost IT products.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 12, 2012
Dr. A. Hunter Fanney talks about a house the NIST Engineering Lab is using to study green technologies. Dr. Cheryl Martin discusses the Energy Department's recent round of grants to foster new technology. Financial Planner Arthur Stein discusses the impact of FERS over the last 25 years. Pete Kasperowicz of The Hill newspapers reviews upcoming legislation on Capitol Hill.
Current trends in the IT market
Paul Lemmo, vice president of Business Development at Lockheed Martin Informations Systems and Global Solutions will discuss cybersecurity, integrated solutions and more.
December 11, 2012
Agile software development
Bob Monahan, a business unit director at Dynamics Research Corporation explains how you agency can benefit from agile software development.
December 11, 2012
Agencies turn to social media to engage public in an emergency
During Hurricane Sandy, agencies like FEMA and NOAA used various social media platforms to communicate with the public. They were able to dispel rumors and follow the situation on the ground as it unfolded.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 11, 2012
Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment talks about possible defense cuts due to sequestration. Attorney Bill Bransford discusses the legal ramifications of lie detectors. Social media expert Justin Herman of the GSA explains how social media is being used in the aftermath of emergencies. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service ponders what may be in store for feds in 2013. Paul Verkuil explains what the Administrative Conference of the United States has been up to.
