Digital Government
Experiment helps lay groundwork for post-Kosovo Air Force
An Air Force experiment designed to test cuttingedge information technologies and new warfighting methods is applying lessons learned during the air war in Yugoslavia to forge a revolutionary change in the way the U.S. military responds to global crises. Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment (JEFX)
Digital Government
Exploding the bureaucrat myth
What's the true story about poor performers in the federal work force? A study by the Office of Personnel Management, 'Poor Performers in Government: A Quest for the True Story,' reports that 3.7 percent of the federal work force are poor performers and 1.5 percent are 'rehabilitated' poor performe
Digital Government
IT central to Kosovo reconstruction
The U.S. Information Agency this week plans to ship dozens of computers, printers and other technology tools to Kosovo, where a small number of Internet centers will form the foundation of a massive reconstruction effort throughout the ravaged province. Started in May at the height of the air war i
Digital Government
Two sides of the digital camera story
In digital photography, as in many other things, the end result often is a compromise. The tradeoff in digital photography involves the quality of the photograph, the size and ease of use of the equipment, and the cost. Fortunately for consumers, the natural evolution in the digital camera market
Digital Government
DOJ forced to open electronic case files
A judge has ordered the Justice Department to release a database of information on federal prosecutions never before made public. In a recent decision, a federal court directed the department to share information from its case management system, including records on what types of prosecutions feder
Digital Government
Socially minded
As director of electronic services at the Social Security Administration, Tony Trenkle works in an office that is responsible for using the Internet as a tool to help improve business practices at SSA. Trenkle, a 13year veteran of the federal government, this year accepted his position with SSA af
Digital Government
Fedwire Briefs
Armstrong moves to CIT post Anne Armstrong, editor in chief of Federal Computer Week, today is expected to be named president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology. In her new role, Armstrong will oversee the daytoday management of CIT, a nonprofit organizat
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
IT REALLY IS A PC WORLD. Technology companies have developed a bit of an irreverent, hip reputation that's reflected in ads that run in newspapers, magazines and on TV. But tech firms' brazen attitudes sometimes do not jibe with the federal government's buttoneddown reputation. The clash of cultur
Digital Government
OS/390 upgrade targets e-business users
IBM Corp. last week announced a new version of its mainframe operating system that adds new management and security features, which are targeted at users with a growing reliance on electronic business. IBM added several enhancements to Version 2 Release 8 of its OS/390 software that position it as
Digital Government
Dell unveils help-desk outsourcing program
Austin, Texas Dell Computer Corp. last week announced a new initiative that takes advantage of the Internet to resolve its customers' technical problems more quickly. OpenManage Resolution Assistant, the centerpiece of a program called Esupport, speeds up support services by enabling customers t
Digital Government
Open-market buys deserve equality
What do you do if you are a government buyer and you want to purchase, for example, a pointofuse automated medication supply system from a General Services Administration schedule vendor and a couple of smaller, related items that aren't yet available on the schedule? If you happen to be the Army
Digital Government
IT contract bundling pinches out small firms
Investment banking firm Boles Knop ?#038; Amp; Co. LLC this month released a report that confirms what many industry observers have suspected that federal spending on information technology is increasing slowly, but less of that money is going to small business. The bundling of previous IT contracts into n
Digital Government
DOD is right to sit out Y2K
Although it may seem callous, the Defense Department's formal dictum this month that it would not help cities and counties if the Year 2000 bug caused widespread havoc or food and water shortages is the right decision. It is easy to react to DOD's decision, spelled out in a message sent to all the
Digital Government
Spawar orders buying review
The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, concerned about possible abuses in information technology contracting, has instituted highlevel reviews of new, streamlined computer contracts based on the General Services Administration schedule. Rear Adm. John Gauss, Spawar commander, said he ordered
Digital Government
Rewritable CD drives get faster, cheaper
Who could argue with better technology, faster speeds and lower prices? That's what is happening in the rewritable CD (CDRW) drive market today. In this comparative review, we look at three rewritable CD solutions priced less than $400. These solutions are great for offices that need to duplicate
Digital Government
Check Point secures net from within
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. this week announced its new virtual private network architecture, which will provide highavailability security not only from network to network but also within an agency. The company's new Secure Virtual Network (SVN) architecture is a longterm strategy to b
Digital Government
Print Screen Works holds key to Windows printing
Print Screen Works 5.5 is a handy little program from SilverLakeTech.com that turns the Print Screen key on the keyboard into a hotkey tied directly to the printer. When viewing any screen in Microsoft Corp. Windows, a user can press the Print Screen key and the image immediately prints. Print Sc
Digital Government
Portable electronic book readers debut in Dayton
Portable electronic book readers will make their classroom debut next week at Resurrection Catholic School in Dayton, Ohio. A pilot program calls for electronic books to be used for every subject in a fourth grade classroom for a minimum of one grading period.
Digital Government
Security gaps persist in DOD nets
Despite countless warnings dating to 1996, the Defense Department's information networks continue to be plagued by serious security flaws and weaknesses that have opened up almost every area of the department to cyberattacks and fraud, according to a new General Accounting Office report. Released l
Digital Government