Digital Government
Roster Change
The Commerce Department last week named John Tritak as director of the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office. Tritak most recently was an attorney with the law firm Verner, Liipfert, Berhard, McPherson and Hand. Before that, he served as deputy director for Defense relations and security assista
Digital Government
New Sun Solaris positioned for NT users
Sun Microsystems Inc. last week unveiled the latest version of its Solaris Easy Access Server, a product that enables organizations to take advantage of the stability and scalability of its Unix operating system while maintaining the familiarity of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT. Easy Access Server 3
Digital Government
Iomega provides a better way to handle floppies
You're a busy executive who travels several times a month, but your agency doesn't have enough notebooks to assign one to each person. So you are constantly juggling a halfdozen floppy disks, transferring files and presentations from one notebook to the next. Each time you go through this drill, y
Digital Government
When is collective bargaining appropriate?
The following issue was raised by a contractor's representative: In many companies, employees are allowed to form unions and bargain collectively with management. However, union organizing is uncommon in the government contracting community. Why is that? When, if ever, are government contractor emp
Digital Government
FBI to link 17 criminal databases
State and local law enforcement officials soon will be able to transmit fingerprint data from squad cars and gain access to mug shots and other data as the FBI rolls out a computer system that will link 17 databases on criminals and their activities.
Digital Government
DOD prioritizes Y2K problems
The Defense Department has instructed all military commanders to maintain their units' ability to go to war in the event of widespread Year 2000related critical infrastructure failures, relegating local community assistance to the bottom of the department's priority list. Local commanders at milit
Digital Government
Links in the crime-fighting chain (Part II)
State and local law enforcement officials soon will be able to transmit fingerprint data from squad cars and gain access to mug shots and other data as the FBI rolls out a computer system that will link 17 databases on criminals and their activities. National Crime Information Center 2000 (NCIC 200
Digital Government
Tool speeds info to vehicles
CellPort Labs Inc. has developed a tool for law enforcement agencies, ambulance corps and other groups that need to distribute information quickly and securely across a fleet of vehicles.
Digital Government
Links in the crime-fighting chain (Part I)
While the FBI celebrates the delivery of its National Crime Information Center 2000 system to help identify criminals nationwide, the failure of a system at the Immigration and Naturalization Service to identify a suspected murderer illustrates the shortcomings of this technology. The Justice Depar
Digital Government
FlexScan L66: A sound choice in flat-panel displays
How many times have you thought to yourself, 'If I could get rid of this monster monitor, I would have so much more room to work?' Well, the answer is here: flatpanel displays. Eizo Nanao Technologies Inc. has made the thought of getting rid of that hulking old CRT monitor even more enticing with
Digital Government
E-signature hits Hill
Congressional leaders for the first time have signed legislation by using electronic signature software, which supporters say demonstrates the technology's growing acceptance as a viable means to further the concept of an electronic government. PenOp Inc. provided the software used July 15 by Speak
Digital Government
Cellular to come to schedule
After years of avoiding competition with its sister organization, the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Service announced that it plans to modify the multipleaward schedule program this week to include cellular and paging services. The announcement marks the first time FSS has offer
Digital Government
CacheFlow puts Web tech on GSA sked
The speed, reliability and security of the World Wide Web are becoming increasingly important as federal agencies put more information on the Internet and receive more information from it. CacheFlow Inc. believes that the answer to all three necessities could come from a solution that has been arou
Digital Government
Study: Electronic food-stamp costs lower than expected
The transaction costs associated with providing electronic food stamps to assistance recipients across state lines are lower than expected, removing a possible barrier to shifting the entire U.S. foodstamp program to electronic benefits transfer (EBT), a recently released study found. The prelimin
Digital Government
Telecom war brews in federal market
It appears the federal government will serve as the battleground for a disagreement between competitive telecommunications companies, which want unencumbered access to offer their services in all office buildings, and the landlords who believe the companies should have to pay for such privileges. A
Digital Government
Rethinking critical infrastructure security
Recent 'hacks' against Pentagon, Senate and FBI World Wide Web sites have highlighted the importance of protecting computer systems against cyberattacks. Indeed, the digital equivalent of spraying graffiti on agency home pages (and denying citizens access to those sites) is the least of the problem
Digital Government
Dedication is the best defense
Early one Friday morning in 1997, Air Force Col. Dale Meyerrose turned on his computer at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and discovered that President Clinton had sent him an email message. Questioning the probability of receiving an email message directly from the commander in chief, Meyerro
Digital Government
Study calls for reserve virtual IT warfare unit
A yearlong study completed last week by a senior panel of Defense Department officials recommended an unprecedented expansion in the role the reserves play in national defense, including the formation of a virtual cyberdefense unit to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. The study, Reserv
Digital Government
USGS to track training via Web
To better organize employee training records and to make signing up for classes easier, the U.S. Geological Survey plans to develop a World Wide Webbased system that would track training for its 12,000 employees. Virginia Miles, an ethics program officer in charge of training for USGS, said the sy
Digital Government