Army

DOD, Microsoft Agree To Landmark Enterprise Licensing Deal

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The Defense Department has awarded a first of its kind joint enterprise licensing agreement for Microsoft collaboration, mobility, productivity and security tools. Valued at $617 million, the three-year agreement will allow the Army, Air Force and the Defense Information Systems Agency to begin using the latest versions of the company’s products.

The agreement creates a single framework providing all three organizations with a single, standardized way to access new Microsoft technologies. The contract also supports top DOD IT goals for data center consolidation, collaboration, cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing and big data, company officials said in a statement. Keep reading →

Published January 4, 2013 at 4:33 PM

Big Data Tools Help Law Enforcement Catch Crooks, Terrorists

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Putting the pieces together for intelligence gathering or crime fighting is often likened to searching for needles in haystacks. And increasingly, those needles are digital traces in a sea of data. Keep reading →

Published November 28, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Building a Federal AEC Pipeline: What to Consider in 2013

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The uncertainty of 2012 has many pondering how to plan their federal Architecture, Engineering and Construction pipeline for the coming year. By getting back to basics, companies can balance trends found in three sources – historic federal spending , budget requests, and what potential opportunities are to be released in the next 12 to 18 months – to develop a business development plan for 2013. Keep reading →

Published November 28, 2012 at 7:00 AM

No More Copper Wires: Army CIO To Tell Odierno We Gotta Go to Cloud

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While Army forces in Afghanistan have more bandwidth and gadgetry than ever, bases back home still make do with archaic copper-wire telephone switches. As the war winds down and units increasingly operate out of the US, the challenge for the Army’s CIO is to move the whole service to a single set of compatible, cloud-based systems.

“How do we get the network right?” Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, the Army’s Chief Information Officer, aka the G-6, asked at an Association of the US Army breakfast. “We’re going to propose that [cloud-based] strategy to [Chief of Staff] Gen. [Ray] Odierno on Saturday the 17th.” Keep reading →

Published November 9, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Data Analytics (Should Have) Eliminated Election Outcome Surprise

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No one should have been surprised by the outcome of yesterday’s presidential election.

That’s because data analytics now afford perfected math-based, non-subjective models that closely matched the outcome, according to New York Times Columnist Timothy Egan. Keep reading →

Published November 7, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Staring Over Financial Cliff: Preparing For IT Budget Cuts Across The Board

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With sequestration looming, and 2013 federal IT spending requests having have dropped $1 billion over fiscal year 2012 levels, contracting dollars especially for IT are expected to come under intense scrutiny, and in many cases get shuffled to meet changing needs next year.

Those who follow federal IT spending are already aware that the fiscal 2013 federal IT budget request is approximately $78.9 billion, down from the prior year’s $79.7 billion. However, Congress’ continuing resolution and potential sequestration are likely to lower IT spending to between $73 to $74 billion. Keep reading →

Published November 2, 2012 at 1:15 PM

Army Creates ‘Strategic Landpower’ Office With SOCOM, Marines; Odierno Defends Budget

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Hey, you want Special Forces? The Army’s got your back. Want air defense? Missile defense? Communications? Intelligence? Logistical support? Joint Task Force headquarters? Go Army!

Just – just please, don’t cut our budget any more, okay? Keep reading →

Published November 1, 2012 at 4:45 PM

Army To Launch Mobile App Store For Intelligence Services

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The U.S. Army is expected to open a new mobile applications store as part of a pilot program designed to offer a more flexible way to develop and buy software for the government. The online store will provide a space where users can request specific tools and where participating developers can quickly provide or create a product to fill respective needs without getting bogged down in a complex and time consuming acquisitions process.

The new pilot will be a six-month effort that will support the Army’s intelligence service and the potentially intelligence agencies. Keep reading →

Published September 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM

A Vision Beyond BlackBerries

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For all the progress federal agencies have made toward mobile technology, CIOs still long for industry innovation that leads to a secure, virtual solution for devices other than BlackBerries.

The sentiment came through at a panel discussion Tuesday moderated by Rick Holgate at the Telework Exchange’s Fall 2012 Town Hall Meeting in Washington, D.C. Holgate is chief information officer at the Bureau of Alchohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Keep reading →

Published September 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM

DOD’s Dilemma: When Software Becomes A Weapon Of Choice

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Choosing the best software for soldiers on the battlefield is becoming as important as the weapons they use. But it’s also becoming an increasingly complicated supply challenge for military commanders and acquisition officials, according to defense experts.

There’s little question that real-time information – and the ability to analyze and act on that information quickly – is becoming the ultimate weapon for warfighters. Keep reading →

Published September 13, 2012 at 11:01 AM
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