DHS

Defense Department Juggles Multiple Mobile Pilot Programs

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The Defense Department has launched a barrage of programs across the services to provide its civilian and uniformed personnel with mobile devices. Overseeing this vast and varied process is the Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for running many of the department’s mobile pilot programs and setting up the infrastructure to provide applications and services to warfighters.

The head of DISA and top technology officers outlined how individual agencies fit into those efforts at the Defense & Security Mobile Technologies Symposium in Washington, D.C. last week. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 23, 2012 at 10:30 AM

DHS Reports Gains In Adopting Cloud Services

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To mark the June 9, 2012, completion milestone for Federal IT reform, I am pleased to highlight several DHS initiatives. Our focus includes shifting to a cloud-first policy, establishing strong governance of the Department’s IT investments, and the implementation of TechStats.
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This article originally appeared as a blog post on the Federal CIO Council’s website. For more news and insights on innovations at work in government, please sign up for the AOL Gov newsletter. For the quickest updates, follow us on Twitter @AOLgov.
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DHS is establishing a strong foundation for cloud computing services, shifting to a cloud model that will allow Components to quickly acquire services for their business and mission needs. DHS currently has 12 cloud services available to its customers. Nine are provided in the DHS Private Cloud:

  • Authentication as a Service (AUTHaaS)
  • Business Intelligence as a Service (BIaaS)
  • Case and Relationship Management as a Service (CRMaaS)
  • Development and Test as a Service (DTaaS)
  • Email as a Service (EaaS)
  • Production as a Service (PRDaaS)
  • Project Server as a Service (PSaaS)
  • SharePoint as a Service (SPTaaS)
  • Workplace as a Service (WPaaS)

Three are provided in the DHS Public Cloud: Keep reading →

 /  Published June 19, 2012 at 9:10 AM

Clear Skies for Cloud Security: FedRAMP To Bring Service Era

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The benefits of cloud computing are too compelling and numerous for agencies not to take serious adoption steps in this budget-constrained fiscal environment. Some estimate the government can save as much as $14.4 billion through cloud adoption.

Looking ahead, cloud will provide a platform for integrating mobility and BYOD into agencies’ day-to-day operations. The benefits of an increasingly commoditized IT world will be passed along quickly to taxpayers in the form of better and more cost-effective government services delivery. Sooner than expected, the government will be in the “Everything as a Service Era” with the vast majority of IT services being provided virtually via the cloud. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Cyber Intelligence: “Every Classified Database” Compromised?

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It is hard to go online without seeing yet another report about an inappropriate disclosure of classified information and last week was no different.

From an undisclosed location in Canada, Chris Doyon — also known under the hacker handle of Commander X, who is an active member of the group known as Anonymous (and pictured in an FBI photo above) — recently told the Postmedia in Canada: “Right now we have access to every classified databases in the U.S. government. It’s a matter of when we leak the contents of those databases, not if.” Keep reading →

 /  Published May 21, 2012 at 1:58 PM

When Government Gets Things Right

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The past three weeks worth of news reports about GSA‘s lavish convention spending and indiscretions by Secret Service agents–and the inquisitions on Capitol Hill in response–could already fill a few hard drives.

So it always a bit baffling to see how little attention the media–and Congress–give federal agencies and government executives when they do get things right. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 27, 2012 at 11:46 AM

Partnerships Key In Race Against Cyber ‘Bad Guys’

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Greg Garcia is not one to sit and spin his wheels. He thrives on speed, a little danger and the overall chase. So it’s little surprise that the bicycling enthusiast gravitates toward the intersection of information technology security and government policy.

“It’s speed, it’s endurance, it’s tactics, it’s strategy, and then there’s the adrenaline,” Garcia said of IT security. He was referring to the race to stay ahead of what he called the “bad guys” by anticipating their next move, a race that’s ultimately about safety and protection. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 26, 2012 at 2:00 PM

Setting a New Standard for Border Patrol

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COMMENTARY: Border security Chief Mike Fisher recently announced that his agency will unveil a new strategic four-year plan in the coming months. While the details are not yet finalized, the plan will attempt to take border security to the next level by trading physical security, stand-alone fusion centers and brute force for smarter technology, joint operations and intelligence to more effectively put in place a risk based approach to manage and mitigate threats at the border.

This is a significant upgrade from the original reactive strategy established shortly after September 11, which effectively deployed a vast physical network of operations centers and surveillance sensors throughout the country to identify and neutralize terrorist activity, as well as illegal drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 19, 2012 at 2:40 PM

DHS Agents Will Trade Radios For Smart Phones

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The Homeland Security Department plans to migrating to mobile devices and advance information sharing as part of updates to law enforcement technology, Federal Computer Week has reported.

CIO Richard Spires said the department has set up a joint program office for law enforcement agents to swap tactical radios (such as the one pictured above) for modern smart phones within five years. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 19, 2012 at 2:20 PM

FedSMC: Small Science Investments Can Yield Big Returns

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From developing a foot and mouth disease vaccine to simulating nuclear explosions, government leaders shared examples on Tuesday of how science advances government missions during a panel discussion at the annual Federal Senior Management Conference in Cambridge, Maryland.

The discussion, which included executives from the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security and NASA and was led by FedInsider Executive Editor Tom Temin, offered a glimpse into the range and power of science in the federal government. A common thread among the panelists was accomplishing big things with fewer resources. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 17, 2012 at 11:27 AM

Spires Foresees Back Office Computing As A Service Within Next 5 Years

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One of the nation’s top government chief information officers predicted within the next five years, federal agencies will be able to begin procuring enterprise level back office information systems as a service rather than having to develop or maintain their own systems.

Richard Spires, CIO for the Department of Homeland Security, and vice chairman of the Federal CIO Council, said federal agencies–including DHS–are actively trying to reduce and standardize the number of commonly used information systems. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 16, 2012 at 6:32 PM
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