With the sequestration deadline looming, government contractors are split on whether the pending sequestration budget cuts will occur.
According to survey findings released today by Market Connections, Inc., a leading government market research firm, 36% of government contractors believe sequestration is unlikely to happen, while 34% believe the budget cuts are somewhat likely. Keep reading →
Although federal spending doesn’t offer clear data on mobile technology in government, it does demonstrate growth — but new, ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) policies could throw a wrench into prediction models. A wrench that might point to potential opportunities for government IT contractors.
Since dependable information resources such as the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) don’t track specific growth in the mobile sector, we had to use a few other ways to answer our questions about how mobile is the federal government today. Keep reading →
What makes today’s young professionals different than previous generations?For the past decade at least, Americans have been subject to variations of “40 is the new 30.” A mantra that is supposed to allow older people to do the things that had previously been relegated to younger people, either because their bodies were more capable, or society looked at those activities as within the province of youth. Keep reading →
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently committed to a continued partnership with Microsoft Corp. to use emerging tools and technologies to harness the power of big data and drive efficiency, mobility and better service.
Spanning from the desktop to the data center and mobile devices, the renewed agreement will allow the VA to analyze big data the department has been unable to evaluate in the past. It also means continued investment in a groundbreaking data warehousing/big data analytics initiative. Keep reading →
Federal and state government agencies have been launching programs allowing their employees to use their personal mobile devices at work to access data and business applications with an eye toward saving money. But many are often unaware of hidden costs associated with BYOD programs.
While these programs can provide all of advantages of mobility, unless managed carefully, they will not deliver their primary selling point: reduced costs. Keep reading →
The proliferation of mobile devices and applications is creating unique communication network challenges for federal government institutions. With the surge of new smartphones and multimedia devices, CIOs and CTOs are dealing with growing demands by employees to deliver improved productivity and efficiency that mobile networks are continuing to provide.
The resulting task is monumental and multifaceted, including managing smartphones and other mobile devices, ensuring multi-carrier support, setting security parameters and prioritizing access control for all the mobile devices on their networks. Keep reading →
Nearly 169,000 federal employees are teleworking at least one day a week but there is a long way to go before the government’s entire workforce of 2.1 million can join the office of the 21st century, OPM said in a report to Congress.
The 2012 Status of Telework in the Federal Government report to Congress, released on July 6, is the first comprehensive look at the government’s telework world and the emerging changes in a culture that once required federal employees to physically be in the office at all times. Keep reading →
This is one in a regular series on the latest innovation in mobile apps and mobile technology in the federal government.
With secure mobile technology for federal workers and innovative citizens services via mobile devices, the Environmental Protection Agency aims to increase its public profile and incorporate mobile applications into daily operations. Keep reading →
This is one in a regular series exploring how federal agencies are finding and implementing innovative ways to drive efficiency and cut costs.
With more than 50 offices and laboratories around the country and dozens of ancillary cleanup sites, the Environmental Protection Agency is a far-flung organization. But as proof that even an organization as spread out as the EPA can cut travel costs, the agency will be slicing its travel budget by more than one fourth in fiscal year 2013. Keep reading →
With federal agencies and departments developing a myriad of mobile applications for citizens, and agency employees, the government should be moving to develop application tools that are platform agnostic and have multiple uses, according to Dr. Rick Holgate, who played a leading role in developing the mobility recommendations in the government’s new digital strategy.
The new digital government strategy, released May 23 by the Office of Management and Budget, accompanied by a memorandum from the White House, is designed to give agencies a roadmap on how to embrace and optimize use of digital technology. It combines earlier efforts on the government’s original mobility strategy and a lesser-known web reform strategy, said Holgate, CIO of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Keep reading →
