Tech

Is the internet a force for good or evil in the eyes of government? And what does that mean for democracy?

We’ve often seen contrary positions taken by western democratic governments on the value of the internet – whether it can be used for good, or is a pit of evil. The US government, for instance, has promoted freedom of speech on the internet internationally, supporting the use of Tor and other tools to allow bloggersRead… Read more »

Thin is In: How Cook County Is Improving Services with Thin Clients

CIO Bridget Dancy calls them the “best kept secret in county government.” No, it’s not the caped crusader Batman or The Avengers – they’re something far more cost-effective and efficient…. Thin clients! This week we’re telling the story of how local governments like Cook County in Illinois have traded in thousands of slow, aging computerRead… Read more »

Where’s My Broadband?

Since 2011, federal agencies have surveyed Americans’ access to broadband on BroadbandMap.gov. In addition to visualizations on their website, you can download shapefiles for each state. When I first searched for Macon (my CfA partner city), I saw that most of the city was covered by multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs). What surprised me wereRead… Read more »

Tech talk: Implementing the new Digital Gov’t Strategy and renewed interest in Shared Services

On Today’s Edition of the DorobekINSIDER We’ve spent some time talking about the Obama administration’s Digital Government Strategy. Today, we’re going to talk about how that strategy can get implemented — and I know a lot of agencies are saying they have no money. GSA is hoping to help, and we’ll talk to the personRead… Read more »

GovBytes: Planning an Open Government Future

While the pressure to maintain transparent operations is an issue facing all levels of government, one challenge that is especially pressing for local governments is taking big data out of open data, making information more readily accessible to average citizens. Presenting data in a meaningful way is the goal of Open Tucson, an independent non-profitRead… Read more »

Stuxnet Leak Investigation, NASA Developing Flight Software For Deep-Space Missions, and More

Here is today’s federal cybersecurity and information technology news: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into who leaked information on U.S. involvement in Stuxnet. More here. A federal judge estimates that the number of secret electronic surveillance orders issued each year is 30,000 and growing. More here. Major General Jaap Willemse saidRead… Read more »

Potential Pitfalls of “Shared First”

Shared services — the Obama Administration is pushing its Shared Service Strategy. Share first is aimed at helping agencies improve the return on their IT investments, close productivity gaps and increase communications and collaboration amongst key stakeholders. It’s all part of OMB’s 25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT. Greg Bateman is the senior directorRead… Read more »

GovLoop Research Report: Re-Imagining Customer Service in Government

GovLoop is proud to announce our latest resource, The GovLoop Research Report: Re-Imagining Customer Service in Government. In this report, we interviewed 11 government employees and conducted an online survey of 138 government employees from our GovLoop community. Customer service is a core function of government. With government customers having heightened expectations of the levelRead… Read more »