Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started With Security Governance

Article Posted on behalf of Vo Ballard of Cask, LLC. – If the word ‘governance’ sounds like a high level concept that is only applicable to high level managers, chances are you may be missing the cornerstone of a framework that guides and directs the why and how your organization conducts business. If you thinkRead… Read more »

Parameters Are The Problem

This was originally posted at cpsrenewal.ca. I recently ran across a business article about aligning your strategy with your environment. The hook was a cartoon of a man yelling “Why won’t this gigantic square peg fit in this round hole?!” Standare fare, age-old advice. Of course we should make sure that our strategies make senseRead… Read more »

Using Administrative Data for Statistical Purposes

“Start with what you have,” is the advice consultants recommend to organizations that are just launching a performance measurement initiative. And OMB has now issued guidance to that effect, encouraging agencies to use existing program administrative data in new ways. The Obama Administration has championed “open data” by encouraging agencies to make a wider rangeRead… Read more »

Peer Network Spotlight: Brett Lord-Castillo, St. Louis County

Brett Lord-Castillo (@blordcastillo) is the GIS Programmer for St. Louis County Emergency Management, part of the St. Louis County Police in Missouri — and a passionate mapmaker. He also helps organize a local civic hacking meetup group, Open Data STL, and recently led St. Louis’ first-ever CodeAcross event, bringing together community advocates, representatives of theRead… Read more »

More Communication, Collaboration Needed in Federal Cybersecurity

By Jeff Ghelerter and Curtis Cote The numbers are astonishing. There are around 70 million cyber-attacks on the Department of Defense per week, or roughly 115 per second, and the National Nuclear Security Administration matches those numbers. Cyber-attacks on the federal government increased 782% between 2006 and 2012, and 66% of security breaches go undetectedRead… Read more »

The 21st Century is a Really Bad Time for Control Freaks

The 21st Century is a really bad time for control freaks. – Alec Ross, former Senior Advisor for Innovation to the U.S. Secretary of State The State Department trusts its employees to tweet – why doesn’t yours? The above quote was mentioned by Graham Lampa, State Department Office of Public Diplomacy, at the SocialGov Summit,Read… Read more »

Throwback Thursday: Actors Don’t Hide their Oscars, Why Should You? … It’s Oscars season again!

As we prepare for the Oscars this Sunday (Hosted by Ellen!) I thought it would be a great time to look at the lessons that the Oscars can teach us in government. Paul Binkley, in this article from the 2012 Oscars, remarks on how the government should not hide their awards and accomplishments. Originally PostedRead… Read more »

The Government’s Hand (and Money) in Social Media

The data is out, government vendors manage to make money helping the government use social media. In fact, one of SmartProcure’s fellow participants in Code for America’s 2013 Accelerator was Archive Social, a fantastic govtech company that helps government agencies archive their social media activity. Here are the results based on the study of governmentRead… Read more »

Key Strategies to Dealing with the New Normal for Government Agencies and Contractors

Have you ever noticed how often in life signs all point in the same direction? The same issues keep coming up; the same themes keep reappearing? It’s as though the message carries such extreme importance that we are destined to sit up and take notice. If you’ve been following my blog posts over the lastRead… Read more »