Why the Hybrid Cloud is on the Federal Horizon – Plus the 7 Gov Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• Remaining stagnant isn’t human nature – and it shouldn’t be in your organization’s, either. Stan Soloway, CEO at Professional Services Council, told us how he embraced change in order to reform his company with the changing times.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. Nextgov: Why the Hybrid Cloud is on the Federal Horizon- “Federal agencies are continuing to move their information technology infrastructure and services to the cloud at an ever-increasing pace. A key reason for the accelerated adoption rate: the hybrid cloud model. The term hybrid cloud is becoming more popular in the federal government, but what does it mean? Quite simply, it is an “all of the above” approach to cloud. The hybrid model combines the benefits of private and public clouds, virtual servers, along with existing onsite IT systems, to create the right IT mix for agencies.”

2. Government Executive: The Four Biggest Challenges the Next VA Secretary Faces- “We now know who will inherit the broken Veterans Affairs Department, but fixing the agency’s bureaucratic nightmare will be no easy task. President Obama on Monday afternoon nominated Robert McDonald, a former CEO at Procter & Gamble who retired from the company in 2013. And though veterans advocates and lawmakers alike hope that McDonald will be able to use the managerial skills he honed in the private sector to whip the department into shape, he must prioritize the VA’s many moving parts.”

3. Federal News Radio: Obama to expand safeguards for transgender workers- “The White House is preparing an executive order offering transgender federal workers formal protection from discrimination at work, President Barack Obama announced Monday. At least two other measures already prevent the federal government from firing people for being transgender, so Obama’s announcement is largely symbolic. Still, advocates hailed the move as a powerful act of recognition for transgender Americans by the first American president to even utter the word “transgender” in a speech.”

4. FCW: How FITARA can fix the federal government’s IT problem- “Innovation was a major theme outlined in the federal IT budget priorities for 2014, which touched on plans to incorporate more big data, virtualization and cybersecurity initiatives into the public sector. Adopting new technologies (whether you’re a multinational corporation or a government agency) can be a drawn-out, difficult endeavor. Government IT programs, however, are plagued by a rather unique problem: a serious leadership crisis that impedes the implementation and success of IT initiatives.”

5. Government Executive: President Obama Announces Plan to ‘Fix As Much of Our Immigration System As I Can’- “Record numbers of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and a clear signal that immigration reform is dead in the House has prompted President Obama to launch a new administrative effort to “fix as much of our immigration system as I can” on his own.”

6. Politico: Hobby Lobby decision: 5 takeaways- “The Supreme Court waited until the very end to deliver its most hotly anticipated decision of the term: declaring in a 5-4 ruling that for-profit companies can use religious objections to avoid paying for contraception coverage required under Obamacare.”

7. NPR: Supreme Court Deals A Blow To Public Employee Unions- “Public employee unions suffered a major defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, with worse probably to come soon. The court’s 5-4 decision will in the short run undercut the financing for some public employee unions by allowing people who don’t join the union and don’t pay any fees to get the same benefits as those who do pay union dues.”

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder… yes, we’re trying to help you make your water-cooler time better too…

• Russian Hackers Targeting Oil and Gas Companies [The New York Times] Russian hackers have been systematically targeting hundreds of Western oil and gas companies, as well as energy investment firms, according to private cybersecurity researchers. The motive behind the attacks appears to be industrial espionage — a natural conclusion given the importance of Russia’s oil and gas industry, the researchers said.

• The Internet of Things (IoT) is taking off in smart directions [Government Technology’s Dan Lohrman]: Unexpected sophistication. Further along than I thought. Immense potential. Even… Wow! These are just a few of the words and phrases that I’m using to describe the Internet of Things World conference in Palo Alto, California, last week. I was an invited keynote speaker on cybersecurity for the event, but I certainly learned as much or more than I imparted to others. The topics were wide-ranging, covering health & fitness, smart home, connected cars, i-Beacons, smart cities, precision agriculture, logistics, and industrial Internet during the two days of presentations. The number of the speakers offering thought-provoking insights was remarkable, and I must admit that I was surprised, energized and challenged to rethink about the future with IoT. [Editor’s note: GovLoop’s Internet of Things and government event coming up in August… and hear GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER LIVE on understanding the Internet of Things]

• The digital tipping point [McKinsey & Company]: McKinsey Global Survey results Organizations’ efforts to go digital—and drive growth through digitization—are picking up steam. But many have more work to do before they can scale their efforts and see material impact.

• F.C.C. Issues Snapshot of U.S. Internet Service [The New York Times]: Mobile Internet subscriptions are growing faster than household subscriptions