networks

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

After BlackBerries, What’s Next For Government Mobile Users?

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Research in Motion’s BlackBerry phones have historically been the device of choice for secure mobile communication in the government market. BlackBerries offered unique business-oriented capabilities but lacked sex appeal to draw consumers to its products. Yet for government agencies that needed to supply their workers with a robust, secure cell phone, the business features won out over giving users a device that was “magical.”

Now with the rise of BYOD (“bring you own device”) in government agencies, RIM is suddenly no longer an appealing option for consumers who are now asked to buy their own device and bring it to work.
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This article originally appeared as a blog on “The New Information Economy.” For more news and insights on innovations at work in government, please sign up for the AOL Gov newsletter. For the quickest updates, like us on Facebook.
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Published August 31, 2012 at 11:01 AM

Spectrum, Mobility, Security Remain Top Issues For DOD Networks

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Army Maj.Gen. Mark Bowman, Joint Chiefs of Staff CIO.

The U.S. military operates many of the world’s largest and most complex computer and communications networks, giving the Defense Department extraordinary capability and flexibility to conduct a vast assortment of global operations, from direct combat to humanitarian missions. Keep reading →

Published August 30, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Agencies Must Spell Out Cloud Investments In 2014 Budgets

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In a move suggesting how quickly cloud computing is becoming part of the government IT mainstream, the Office of Management and Budget is requiring agencies to itemize their cloud computing initiatives in fiscal 2014 budget plans.

The emphasis on cloud computing comes within the larger context of planned cuts to information technology spending. The guidance formalizes prior notices for agencies to “propose reductions in IT that represent 10% of their overall spending, and propose a reinvestment of at least 5%, and up to 10%, of these savings, in priority IT investments for OMB consideration.” Keep reading →

Published August 23, 2012 at 10:46 AM

Don’t Wait For Cyber ‘Pearl Harbor’: Russia & China Are Stealing Our Lunch Now

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As the Senate reconvenes to debate the Lieberman-Collins cybersecurity bill, President Obama himself has set the stakes in terms of preventing a future catastrophic attack. But some say the real and present danger is what’s happening under our noses right now, in an online theft of intellectual property that Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander called “the greatest transfer of wealth in history.” Keep reading →

Published July 30, 2012 at 2:00 PM

Army Strips Down Mobile Requirements

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PENTAGON: The Army showed off an impressive array of battlefield wi-fi gadgetry today in the Pentagon courtyard, exhibiting new-found realism about what gadgets it might not need.

Consider the hardware to connect the individual foot soldier to the brigade-wide command network, which has been stripped down from a 14-pound prototype to a militarized smartphone plugged into a handheld radio. Keep reading →

Published June 29, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Mobile Report: Most Federal Agencies Are Telework IT Ready

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Most federal agencies indicate having above-average IT programs for enabling telework and mobility and expect mobile device use to increase 20 percent by next year, according to a report released this week.

The report, released by the Telework Exchange, offers a snapshot of where federal agencies stand on enabling remote workers, and delivers a forecast for mobile IT investments. Keep reading →

Published April 11, 2012 at 4:30 PM

Defense Department Wants Cyber Arsenal, Report Says

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The U.S. Defense Department has accelerated its efforts to develop offensive cyber weapons that could be used to dismantle hostile military networks in countries where U.S. forces are operating, The Washington Post reported today.

The report cites the Pentagon’s growing frustration with the military’s inability to disable enemy air defense systems and other military communications networks in places like Libya, where U.S. pilots flew combat missions to protect civilian populations from attacks by the Libyan army. That frustration has reportedly led to a five-year, $500 million budget infusion for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon’s main research and development organization, to fast track research into offensive cyber tools. Keep reading →

Published March 19, 2012 at 3:46 PM

Cyber Intelligence: White House Gets Senate’s Attention But Now What?

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It appears that all the expert cyber threat warnings and media coverage–and now a realistic cyber attack simulation on New York’s power grid–has gotten the attention of Washington.

In the latest example, according to an account published March 8 by Politico, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, during a classified briefing in the Office of Senate Security, showed lawmakers how a hacker could breach control systems of New York City’s electric system and trigger a ripple effect throughout the population and private sector. Keep reading →

Published March 12, 2012 at 10:31 AM

Cyber Intelligence: Recognizing the Threat

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Acts of cyber aggression on governments and businesses are now considered a top risk globally. Earlier this year the World Economic Forum (WEF) released their 2012 report on Global Risks. That report looked at fifty areas of risk across specific domains such as the economy, the environment, geopolitics, society and technology.

Five of the top ten risks, however, were closely if not directly related to the cyber domain and cybersecurity concerns. Among them: Keep reading →

Published March 5, 2012 at 10:23 AM
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