The much-anticipated Digital Government Strategy was released as a presidential memo on May 23.
It was worth the wait and certainly didn’t disappoint, delivering strong ideas and including many self-imposed deadlines. Keep reading →
GSA
Most would agree the federal government needs more leaders like Susan Brita. Yet the woman who many might hold up as a hero for blowing the whistle on internal financial abuses within the General Services Administration also serves as a reminder that calling attention to such abuses continues to carry its share of risks.
Clearly, no one wants the kind of spotlight shone on Jeff Neely, the architect behind the pricey GSA conference that led to the recent scandal and to Neely being the latest to lose his job as a result. Keep reading →
On February 17, The Wall Street Journal reported that a researcher working for them discovered that Google ran hidden code designed to circumvent the security settings on Apple devices that use the Safari web browser. While much of the coverage of this revelation has focused on consumers and whether the action may have violated laws or the consent agreement between the FTC and Google, little has been written about the impact for public sector customers.
Public sector customers are big users of Apple devices and these users are governed by a strict set of unique regulations and laws. Given the circumstances of the events here, the question needs to be asked: Did Google break any of the laws or regulations that restrict entities from accessing or changing government computing systems? Keep reading →
The federal government is gaining traction in the mobile application arena with the launch of a redesigned version of the USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov mobile apps galleries on Wednesday. The new design, developed by the General Services Administration, makes it easier for users to access apps and mobile sites via their preferred smartphone, tablet or operating system.
It’s called Responsive Design, and it’s intended to connect with the public in many new ways. The design also presents content based on the device, providing device-specific apps for BlackBerries, Android, iPhone and iPad users. And it’s a road map for other agencies embracing mobile apps. Keep reading →
Our organization, (ISC)² recently participated in the IT Acquisition Advisory Council’s 40th IT-AAC Leadership Roundtable, where high-level cloud stakeholders came together to discuss cloud security, FedRAMP and beyond.
Although I was unable to engage live in the roundtable discussion, I do have some thoughts for government officials to consider as they address the many complexities of securing an initiative that holds more promise for the federal government than any other IT innovation in decades — the cloud. Keep reading →
The convergence of several rapidly evolving technologies is creating new potential for innovation at federal agencies, a group of senior government officials said at a technology and innovation forum held in Washington, D.C., April 24.
The accelerating adoption of cloud computing strategies, the consumerization and commoditization of IT, the integration of mobile devices and applications in the workplace, the rise of social media, and the need to process exponentially greater volumes of data are each unleashing new and more cost effective ways to work, the officials said. Keep reading →
In an effort to ensure taxpayers won’t be footing any more big bills for lavish Las Vegas parties, lawmakers have approved the first of what could be several new rules governing events for federal workers.
The House voted Wednesday to approve the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA) to set new standards for federal agencies planning outings. It includes a $500,000 spending cap on conferences held by individual agencies and would require every agency to disclose what they are spending on contracts on a single public website. Keep reading →
The scandal that’s pushed GSA into the ethical spotlight could have been easily avoided if the agency’s officials had followed their own rules and cost-saving measures to plan the event that’s now led to a criminal probe, ruined reputations and lost taxpayer trust.
In fact, according to industry experts, if they had used GSA contracting vehicles, new technology and negotiating power to achieve sharp discounts, the event for 300 attendees at a four-star Las Vegas hotel likely would have cost less than a quarter of the $823,000 GSA spent. Keep reading →
Acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini said he’s now considering a “top-to-bottom” restructuring of the agency in an effort to regain accountability and integrity after a rogue band of employees went on the now infamous spending spree on lavish and, in some cases odd, entertainment.
“There has to be more checks and balances,” Tangherlini testified at a hearing on the matter Wednesday. “There’s lots of work we have to do to have visibility. We need to consolidate procurement and oversight as well. We need to have clear accountability. We’re going to look at the entire structure top to bottom. How should it be structured?” Keep reading →
The General Services Administration’s Inspector General testified Tuesday that he has referred allegations of fraud and corruption to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution in the agency’s $823,000 Las Vegas conference scandal. And a clearly outraged subcommittee chairman threatened to disband the GSA altogether.
While declining to elaborate, GSA IG Brian Miller, told a House Transportation subcommittee that he did “send a referral” to the DOJ, which is administrative language for calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether any of the fraud and corruption charges uncovered in his report merit criminal charges. Keep reading →