Voices: Brittany Ballenstedt

Brittany Ballenstedt

Blogger

Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.

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NSA Targets Systems Admins to Prevent Snowden-Type Leaks

June 19, 2013 The National Security Agency is considering new policies that would affect system administrators in an effort to prevent Edward Snowden-like leaks in the future, the agency’s director said Tuesday. NSA Director Keith Alexander told the House Intelligence Committee that the NSA is considering reducing the number of systems administrators it ...

BYOD: Game-Changer, or Fad?

June 18, 2013 A recent study by Gartner predicted that more than one-third of organizations will stop providing devices to workers by 2016, instead opting for bring-your-own-device, or BYOD, programs that give employees more control over what tools they use to perform their jobs. And while agencies have yet to fully come on ...

New Credential for Cyber Investigators

June 14, 2013 Cybersecurity professionals will soon have access to a new credential that validates their skills in conducting digital investigations. (ISC)2 on Monday announced the new Certified Cyber Forensics Professional certification, which will provide employers and the legal community a better way to assess the skills of digital forensics professionals and their ...

Why Edward Snowden's Education Matters Very Little

June 13, 2013 It's now known that National Security Agency surveillance leaker Edward Snowden made $120,000 annually – a hefty salary for someone who reportedly never graduated from high school. Still, the coveted job and hefty salary start to make sense when you consider one element of Snowden’s resumé: he has tech skills. ...

Demand for Tech Pros Continues to Climb

June 11, 2013 The job market for technology professionals is continuing to expand going into the second half of 2013, and surprisingly, hiring managers are having a slightly easier time finding the skills they need, according to a new survey. This month’s issue of the Dice Report found that nearly three-quarters (73 percent) ...

Vets Need Help Moving Into Tech Careers After Military Service

June 10, 2013 Helping military veterans return to civilian life has been the focus of several new programs, including Vets in Tech and the recent IT Training and Certification Partnership between the White House and several private companies. But there is at least one area where veterans could use some help, particularly when ...

The Vets in Tech Hackathon at Facebook

June 7, 2013 Nearly 70 tech-savvy veterans gathered at Facebook’s headquarters last week to exchange ideas and glean experience from some of Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurs. The Vets in Tech Hackathon brought together 69 military veterans at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., to work on business plans and chat with some top ...

Are You Ready to Telework in a Hurricane?

June 6, 2013 This week kicks off the beginning of hurricane season, and NOAA is predicting an active to very active season with 13 to 20 tropical storms, 7 to 11 of which could strengthen into hurricanes. In light of this, the Office of Personnel Management last week issued guidance to federal agencies ...

Phased Retirements Could Help Offset IT Brain Drain

June 5, 2013 Amid rising concerns over a potential brain drain in the federal IT and cyber forces, agencies and employees may take heart in knowing they can soon take advantage of a program that will allow outgoing retirees to work part time to help mentor and train their replacements. The Office of ...

Would a 1 Percent Raise Make Up For Three Years of Frozen Pay?

June 4, 2013 The White House on Monday called on lawmakers to end a three-year freeze on federal employee pay as it takes up the first round of spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year. “The administration urges the Congress to provide the proposed 1 percent pay increase for federal civilian employees,” the ...