Federal agencies are working closely with private industry partners to embrace telework, cloud computing, smart devices, telecommunications and network technologies. But a new report suggests they fail to see eye to eye in key areas. Keep reading →
IT
Verizon’s plans to eliminate unlimited use plans should accelerate the federal government’s push to leverage Uncle Sam’s buying power to get lower prices and enhanced services from the carriers and the device manufacturers, a federal IT marketplace expert said Friday.
According to a CNET report, Verizon Wireless officials on Thursday clarified plans to discontinue unlimited data plans, saying customers could keep their existing unlimited data plans if they keep their existing device or buy a new device at the full retail cost of the smartphone. In other words, the report states, if a customer renews a contract and purchases a subsidized phone, they would lose the option to keep the unlimited plan. Keep reading →
The Swiss Army Knife is a novel invention, a single pocket-sized device that includes everything from a standard knife blade and scissors to corkscrews and laser pointers. What it makes up for in versatility, however, it lacks in effectiveness – the functions themselves are never as good as actual scissors or laser pointers.
The same rule applies to federal systems administrators (sysadmins), who now serve agencies as a professional “Swiss Army Knives.” Thanks to budget cuts and decreasing staffing levels, federal sysadmins have been pushed into more and more roles, including security specialist, storage manager, virtualization manager and many more. Keep reading →
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) released a second “Myth-Busting” memo Monday addressing misconceptions about acquisition processes.
In the memo, Acting Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy Lesley A. Field states that federal agencies have taken significant additional steps to improve communications between federal agencies and the vendor community since the first “Myth-Busting” memo was released last year. OFPP has issued the second memorandum to continue that process. Keep reading →
NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD.
This is the first in a series of articles examining how NIH, among other government agencies, is infusing innovation into the federal workplace. Keep reading →
Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel speaks with InformationWeek Government Editor John Foley at Thursday’s event.
Having launched a formal strategy on the concept yesterday, federal CIO Steven VanRoekel offered examples Thursday morning of how shared IT services will free up valuable resources across government agencies. Keep reading →
In a technology-driven world, applications take center stage, running our personal lives (e.g. think iPhone and iPad), our businesses and our government. Indeed, according to research firm IDC – the government spent about $8 billion last year on software apps. And according to application usage management specialist Flexera Software – anywhere from 5-30% of that $8 billion (up to $2.4 billion) was likely wasted. Wasted on misunderstood license entitlements, wasted on shelfware because it wasn’t used or needed in the first place, or wasted on inefficient processes and high deployment costs.
As the government scrambles to cut federal spending in increasingly contentious budget hearings, finding the “low hanging fruit” that both parties can readily agree on – is a no brainer. Private enterprises have long understood that application usage management – which includes application readiness and enterprise license optimization — is critical. And it’s time for the government to follow suit and acknowledge the billions of dollars of waste hidden within its software budget – and do something about it. Keep reading →
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 →
The epic shift to cloud computing and need to process massive volumes of data are spurring a high-stakes race to build global data center capacity while making information available on whatever kind of device consumers want it, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a group of Northern Virginia technology executives Thursday.
“We need to think of data center capacity in real time,” he said, as part of Microsoft’s broader bet that businesses and government will use a combination of public and private clouds in the future, Ballmer said. He made comment in a series of wide ranging remarks about how technology is changing and the implications that will have for individuals, businesses, and government during an industry breakfast in McLean, Va., hosted by the Northern Virginia Technology Council. Keep reading →
Big Data and shared services, arguably two of the hottest trends in federal IT, posses the unquestionable power to revolutionize our ability to share information, make informed decisions and create knowledge – all while saving taxpayers boatloads of cash. However, despite the myriad memos, initiatives and projects focused on these transformational strategies, the federal IT community does not seem to be giving much attention to one of the most critical requirements needed to truly maximize these systems: bandwidth.
Here is the problem: Keep reading →