Digital Government
Reseller targets small buys
At a time when most computer vendors are targeting enterprise or agencywide opportunities, CDW Government Inc. (CDWG) is focusing on the smaller, daytoday purchases made by many federal employees. Large contracts or blanket purchase agreements are the more traditional sources of profit in the fe
Digital Government
TriStrata to enhance its PKI alternative
TriStrata Inc. this week will release a major enhancement to its suite of security software for securing digital transactions. The company is positioning this enhancement as an alternative to publickey infrastructure. PKI is an increasingly popular security solution that combines digital certifica
Digital Government
ITI unveils space-saving PC
Initiative Technology Inc., which specializes in building custom computers, last week gave FOSE visitors a look at its latest product: a fullfeatured PC designed to take up as much space as a keyboard with a wrist rest. ITI built the Leprechaun PCinakeyboard system as a custom order for a gover
Digital Government
IRS installs new software to guard electronic tax data
The Internal Revenue Service is installing new storage software to safeguard the staggering volume of electronic tax information stored in the agency's computer system. By 2007, the IRS plans to handle 80 percent of its tax filings electronically. The agency believes increased use of electronic fil
Digital Government
OMB saddles feds with state Y2K data links
The Office of Management and Budget this week is expected to issue a memo directing federal agencies to take the lead role in making sure that social services programs will not be interrupted because of Year 2000 computer problems in state government systems. In the memo to agency heads, OMB Direct
Digital Government
Reno launches security alliance
Attorney General Janet Reno and the Information Technology Association of America today unveiled a set of initiatives to combat computer crime. A key component of the initiatives is a 'personnel exchange program,' in which IT professionals will work and learn side by side with computer crime specia
Digital Government
Coast Guard calls for audit of logistics system
Citing concerns about cost overruns and slow progress, the Coast Guard's chief information officer has ordered an internal audit of an information technology system being developed that would help it manage and maintain its ships and boats. The Fleet Logistics System is intended to aggregate for th
Digital Government
CPI change is hurting retirees
The Labor Department this year changed its main consumer price gauge, the Consumer Price Index, and that change eventually will knock a couple of tenths of a percentage point off the official annual rate of inflation. Unfortunately, that means federal and privatesector retirees, whose pensions are
Digital Government
Letters to the Editor
Finding federal jobs Having worked in federal service for many years, and being a highly skilled IT professional (especially in ecommerce and eservice areas), I'd like to comment that feds have no way of identifying people with these valuable skills ['Panel: Changes can lure IT labor,' FCW, March
Digital Government
House panel told a dash of Y2K fear not all bad
The Clinton administration is close to calling victory in its battle against the Year 2000 bug, but some experts told Congress today that the federal government should not be so assured and should show more concern about potential problems.
Digital Government
Intercepts
SPECTRUM WARS. Vice President Al Gore announced with great fanfare this year the administration's financial and policy backing for two new civilian frequencies on Global Positioning System satellites scheduled for launch early in the next century. But according to reports I picked up last week at t
Digital Government
Small-business decline hurts federal IT
The Defense Department's decision last month to temporarily suspend the 10 percent price evaluation adjustment for small and disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) because DOD exceeded its 5 percent SDB business goal in fiscal 1998 may indicate that small and minorityowned companies are getting their fai
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
Y2K SEMANTICS. People always are asking Sen. Robert Bennett (RUtah), chairman of the Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, whether everything will be all right come Jan. 1, 2000. It seems he has a stock answer, which he shared with attendees at a policy summit held by the Informat
Digital Government
Comparison shop for health plans online
The Office of Personnel Management last week kicked off a plan to build an Internetbased system to help government employees nationwide choose a health plan by comparing the numerous options available to them. As envisioned, federal employees who participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefit
Digital Government
OMB report: Feds must shore up state Y2K efforts
The Clinton administration is requiring federal agencies to take the lead role in working with states to ensure that social service programs are uninterrupted by Year 2000 computer problems.
Digital Government
CIO Council to rethink commercial standards
The CIO Council is creating a working group to look at how the government can make better use of the technical standards created by private industry, according to a member of the council.
Digital Government
Feds find silver lining in Y2K struggle
Despite the havoc it has given federal managers, the Year 2000 problem may have better equipped federal chief information officers to handle future information technology problems, according to the CIO Council.
Digital Government
CIO Council issues guidelines to fight federal software piracy
A committee for the CIO Council released model guidelines today that will help agencies comply with last year's executive order on computer software privacy.al chief information officers to handle future information technology problems, according to the CIO Council.
Digital Government
DOD to step up defense of GPS
The Defense Department plans to add a new set of military antijam frequencies to the next series of military Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, to prevent the loss of critical positioning information during a battle, a top DOD official said today.
Digital Government