When I first came to D.C., in 2010 for a new reporting job, I had what appeared to be the least popular beat in the newsroom: federal information technology. Most readers weren’t flocking to our website to read about the government’s technology budget, or the increase in cyberattacks against their work computers. They wanted toRead… Read more »
Federal government agencies largely order their telecommunications through GSA’s Networx telecommunications program or through our Regional Local Service Agreements (LSAs) for local telecommunications. As announced in March, we are extending the period of performance for the Network Universal and Enterprise contracts from 2017 to 2020. We are currently working with our industry suppliers to extend theRead… Read more »
When it comes to cloud systems, government agencies tend to be more risk averse than those in the private sector. The move to the cloud can be especially difficult for less adaptable staffs. Fortunately, there are many great examples of agencies in government taking the risk to migrate to cloud services. At the conclusion ofRead… Read more »
Time keeps on slippin’…at least that’s how it feels when you look at how fast technology is advancing. The speed at which the private sector is developing and implementing new technology has left government agencies like the Department of Defense scrambling to keep pace. In the recently released GovLoop guide, “The DoD of Tomorrow,” weRead… Read more »
Over the course of 10 years, Seattle has studied the possibility of creating a municipal-run broadband network seven times, most recently this year. Although it was determined in June that the cost would be lower than expected (somewhere in the range of $463 million to $630 million), city officials again rejected the idea, citing barriersRead… Read more »
What do the government’s tech bosses want? George DelPrete, a principal with the professional services network Grant Thornton, has the answers. For the 25th consecutive year, Grant Thornton and the Professional Services Council released their annual federal CIO survey, revealing the issues that concern the government’s CIOs the most. In an interview with Chris DorobekRead… Read more »
On Monday, June 8, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a final memorandum mandating that all Federal websites implement HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). By December of 2016, all Federal websites will need to implement HTTPS for all communications. Why the Mandate? Privacy, web communications, and encryption are certainly in theRead… Read more »
It’s been a rough nine months for federal cybersecurity. The huge Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hack is just the latest in a series of incidents that make people skeptical of Washington’s ability to protect their personal information. Since last fall, we’ve witnessed hacks of the: OPM. Last week’s cybersecurity failure at OPM wasn’t its firstRead… Read more »
The bridge between the IT world and the “real” world seems to be widening. IT folks are tackling complex technology issues of today without fully understanding how minor errors can majorly impact the everyday user. Meanwhile, us common folk don’t even understand what makes the Internet work. The two worlds can’t seem to collide, oneRead… Read more »
>> Want even more information about the OPM breach? Read our recent post, 12 Things You Should Know About the OPM Breach The recent Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach has everyone on edge. The personal information of approximately 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised by hackers. The OPM will be contactingRead… Read more »