The National Security Agency is launching a mobile device capability at the end of this year that will allow its personnel to securely access classified information with their smartphones and tablet computers.
The program, which is a joint effort with the Defense Information Systems Agency, could potentially provide the military services with similar secure information access capabilities. Keep reading →
Last fall, Oregon became the first state in the nation to utilize tablet technology in elections. Now in the state’s latest technology move, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown has arranged to provide Samsung Series 7 PC tablets, featuring the Windows 8 operating system, to be used by Oregon voters with disabilities in Tuesday’s general election.
“Specifically, in this pilot project, Oregon voters with disabilities will be encouraged to test their own accessibility devices with the brand-new technology that should increase the use and confidence in our accessible voting system,” said Secretary Brown. Keep reading →
Top military officials are finally getting a chance to see first hand how tablet computers and smartphones other than their trusted BlackBerrys might work in the line of duty.
As part of previously undisclosed program, 200 mobile devices – including iPads, iPhones, Samsung Galaxy tablets and smartphones – have been issued to senior military personnel: 100 to top leadership in the Pentagon and another 100 to key staff at major commands such as Army Cyber Command and the Training and Doctrine Command. Keep reading →
For the past three years, we’ve been studying how the consumerization of IT has been impacting enterprises, including government. As Unisys’ third annual Consumerization of IT research study indicates, the growth of mobile device use in government and the private sector continues – with 44% of workers now using smartphones at work. That’s a 300% increase from three years ago, according to Forrester Consulting, which conducted the study for Unisys.
Tablets, which were rarely used at all two years ago, are now increasingly becoming the computing device of choice for many in today’s workforce. Driven by the adoption of new end user mobile technologies, government agencies are beginning to create innovative new ways of conducting business. Keep reading →
Responses of 300 federal executives (blue bar is current rate; red bar is expectation over next 12-18 months.)
Nearly two thirds of federal executives involved with mobile computing decisions in a recent poll reported that tablet computers are now being used by at least some employees at their agencies. And the over half believe that at least 5% of agency employees will primarily use tablets in their work in the next 12 to 18 months. Keep reading →
Mobile file sharing provider Accellion has partnered with Good Technology and Mocana Corp. to introduce three new enterprise content-sharing applications for mobile devices. The applications permit agency employees to share enterprise data, similar to technologies such as Dropbox, YouSendIt and Box, but in a way which meets military-grade security standards, allows multiple levels of authentication, and which works on with a variety of popular devices and applications.
Using Good Technology’s Good Dynamics product, and a similar virtual container product from Mocana, the new mobile apps that Accellion announced this week allows enterprise users to collaborate and view more than 200 different file types, editing and sharing files from a secure, encrypted location using smartphones and tablets. Keep reading →
Environmental Protection Agency Chief information Officer Malcolm Jackson has embarked on a six-month, rapid-deployment plan to contract and implement a new email and collaboration platform to help improve work processes for EPA employees.
“We’re ripping the Band-aid off,” declared Jackson, acknowledging the initiative “is aggressive; it’s really aggressive.” Keep reading →
An annual study of internet security vulnerabilities released today concluded that “2011 was the first year that mobile malware presented a tangible threat to businesses and consumers.”
The findings, released by Symantec Corp., showed that mobile vulnerabilities nearly doubled, increading by 93% in 2011, with a particular rise in threats targeting the Android operating system. Keep reading →
The General Services Administration has done the equivalent of expanding from a busy brick-and-mortar book store to a burgeoning e-reader business akin to a mini-Amazon that has already saved the government tens of thousands of dollars.
Until recently, the public used the mail to request printed documents from the GSA’s distribution site in Pueblo, Colo., where government’s printed copies are stored. The site continues to operate, handling millions of print requests. Keep reading →
Consider this: At the beginning of the day you’ve got two computing devices sitting in front of you, a laptop and an iPad. Which do you turn to first?
The laptop’s undoubtedly more powerful, but to use it, you’ll likely need to press the power button, wait a few minutes for it to fire up, wait a few more minutes for various programs to load, then take a few more minutes to find what you’re looking for. The iPad, on the other hand, sips energy ever so slowly and hardly ever needs to be powered down. Everything is easily accessible with the touch of a finger, and apps launch almost instantaneously. And, as portable as the laptop is, the iPad is even more so. Keep reading →