Jason Miller covers civilian agencies in the federal government with a focus on technology and acquisition. He is also an executive editor at Federal News Radio. Jason's reports can be heard Monday - Friday on the Federal Drive and In Depth.

Air Force is next to move to DoD enterprise email

The military's chief information officer, Teri Takai, said after the Army completes its migration to DISA's email-as-a-service, the Air Force will be next. She said the Navy also is in discussions to move to the cloud. DoD soon will release a new cloud computing strategy and standards guide for industry.
March 22, 2012(Encore presentation April 19, 2012)

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Army restarts email migrations, names new program manager

Deputy Chief Information Officer Mike Krieger wrote on the CIO's leadership blog that migrations resumed Monday after more than a two-month pause mandated by Congress.

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DHS struggles to balance mission costs with new facilities

The agency's headquarters and new bio and agro defense facility are limping along as funding dwindles. DHS' Rafael Borras said new headquarter's projects will be done in segments. Tara O'Toole, who leads the Science and Technology Directorate, said severe budget cuts are one the reasons a new biosafety facility is far from finished.

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DoD finalizing rules of engagement for cyber attacks

Gen. Keith Alexander, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, told lawmakers DoD would complete an updated version of rules of engagement for cyberspace in the next month or two. Some congressmen believe the Pentagon needs broader authorities to protect the nation from cyber attacks.

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USPS supporter in Senate criticizes postmaster general

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a staunch USPS supporter, takes Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to task for pursuing a plan to close thousands of postal facilities in order to save $7.1 billion annually.

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OMB crowdsourcing improvements to Section 508

The administration released a set of high-level concepts from listening sessions conducted in 2011 and is asking for input from the agencies, contractors and the public. Interested parties can comment on 14 suggestions to improve how people with disabilities access government information.

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Navy seeks one more round of comments before releasing NGEN RFP

The service released a second draft solicitation for the Next Generation Enterprise Network. Industry has until March 30 to comment.

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GSA names new lead of Integrations GWAC

Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steve Kempf is bringing in Jim Ghiloni to run the new professional services contract.

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OMB evolving mobile strategy as focus broadens

The administration now will release a digital services strategy in April instead of just one for mobile computing. The document will bring together two efforts, mobile and .gov reform. Agencies are trying to avoid mistakes made when they entered the PC-era by ensuring a mission need for these devices.

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NNSA IT transformation taking 3-step approach

Agency CIO Robert Osborn is improving the network and cybersecurity. He said the cloud of clouds approach gives the National Nuclear Security Administration the security and flexibility they need to meet their mission.
March 15, 2012

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OMB's pause of financial systems had little effect on cost, schedule

GAO reviewed the administration's implementation of the July 2010 memo calling for a government-wide review of financial management projects. Auditors found about half of the projects said there was no change in cost and three-quarters said their schedule remained the same.

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Navy targets 15 large software vendors for enterprise deals

The service's CIO Terry Halvorsen said the goal is to bring together the purchasing power of the Navy and the Marines Corps to obtain lower prices. He said the Department of the Navy expects to save $100 million over five years. Navy senior officials from technology, acquisition and finance make the use of these enterprisewide contracts mandatory.

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Many non-SES managers feeling left out of key discussions

GS-12s to GS-15s want more say in labor-management conversations. Patricia Niehaus, the president of the Federal Managers Association, said too often political appointees and SESers are the only managers at the table. OPM's John Berry said he will work with FMA and others to figure out how to be more inclusive.

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Agencies met 77 percent of cyber requirements in 2011

In a new report to Congress, the administration said continuous monitoring is taking hold, but HSPD-12 still is floundering. OMB also reported agencies spent $13.3 billion on cybersecurity last year and that government employees make up 60 percent of the cyber workforce.

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Frank Baitman takes over as HHS CIO

The Department of Health and Human Services taps Frank Baitman to be its new chief information officer. He comes to HHS from the Food and Drug Administration where he was an entrepreneur-in-residence.

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Coast Guard searches for IT efficiencies in cloud, mobile

Adm. Robert Day, the service's CIO, said he wants to consolidate data centers, recompete their HR system and better utilize smartphone and tablet devices. The Coast Guard also will begin deploying long-awaited C4 capabilities in 2012.
March 8, 2012

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USDA CIO Smith to leave

Chris Smith is moving on after more than three years as the Agriculture Department's lead technology manager. He helped make major change to the agency's infrastructure, in part by moving email to the cloud.

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OMB to increase IT project oversight with improved dashboard

Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel said agency technology managers will receive reports on the accuracy of the data they put in the portal. The Office of Management and Budget will use the reports to spot possible problematic projects. Version two of the IT Dashboard also will offer more information on specific projects that fall under a bigger investment category.

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White House paints cyber attack picture for Hill

An interagency group of senior officials will brief Senate lawmakers today on what would be the response if the nation's critical infrastructure suffered a cyber attack. The meetings come as Senate lawmakers debate two cyber bills that try to address critical infrastructure protection.

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DoD CHCO Tamburrino promoted

Pat Tamburrino has been reassigned to be the chief of staff for the acting undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He has led several initiatives including moving out of the NSPS and improving the speed of Defense hiring.

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