Digital Government
NCR teams with Acton Burnell for data warehousing solutions
NCR Corp.'s Government Systems Group and consulting firm Acton Burnell have formed a partnership to promote and sell data warehousing solutions to federal agencies. Data warehousing solutions are widely used by companies, particularly retailers, that want to collect as much information about their
Digital Government
'Plain language' effort spawns online resource
Americans should be able to understand government documents the first time they read them. This reasonable expectation should go without saying, but the fact is the text of many government documents is confusing, full of legalese and wordy phrases that end up causing more problems than they set out
Digital Government
House bills take aim at DOD IT programs
When Congress returns to session this September, it will conduct conferences on Defense Department Authorization and Appropriations bills which could realign funding for a number of key DOD information technology programs. This includes a $298.1 million slash in funding in the House Appropriations
Digital Government
Sterling expands application toolset with Synon
Sterling Software Inc.'s acquisition of Synon Corp., finalized earlier this month, has expanded the scope of Sterling's Applications Development Division to include support for new platforms and new development technology. While Dallasbased Sterling has concentrated on mainframe and Unix tools, Sy
Digital Government
Trust your vendor, but verify the prices
I have been spending a good deal of my summer interviewing government contracting professionals for research that examines procurement reform at working levels of government organizations. One of the interesting things I've heard is that a number of government folks are worried that some contractor
Digital Government
Industry Watch
'Blue Mountain' module delivered Silicon Graphics Inc. last week delivered to the Los Alamos National Laboratory the third of 12 supercomputer modules that will allow scientists to test the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal without having to actually detonate a nuclear device. When
Digital Government
Watchdog group warns GILS' days are numbered
A program mandated by Congress almost four years ago to provide online indexes of government information to the public is losing steam, putting its future in question, according to a new report by the consumer watchdog group OMB Watch. According to the report, the Government Information Locator Ser
Digital Government
HHS prescribes info standards for health care
In a move that would dramatically affect federal and private health care programs nationwide, the Department of Health and Human Services last week proposed new national security standards to protect health care records that are stored or transmitted electronically in the United States. The propose
Digital Government
Australian firm eyes DOD telecom pact
In what observers say is a first for the Defense Department, an Australian carrier plans to compete as a prime contractor against large U.S. telecommunications companies for DOD's $2 billion Pacific, South American and Caribbean telecommunications network. Telstra, which is partially owned by the A
Digital Government
Get employee rights in writing
A recent case involving the denial of disability benefits underscores the importance of receiving written instructions when it comes to your rights as a government employee. The case involved Charles F. Johnson, who was removed from his position as an accounting technician at the Agriculture Depart
Digital Government
Industry cautious about MOBIS changes
Vendors and consultants are hoping a change in venue and staffing will bring improvements to a popular General Services Administration schedule program that offers agencies information technology management and consulting services. GSA first issued its solicitation for the Management, Organization
Digital Government
FMS software
While activity in the federal market for financial applications has been building for several years, changes now are occurring at a rapid rate in terms of the technology being offered and how it is being sold. Financial management system (FMS) software has been an important issue for agencies since
Digital Government
Compaq sails new notebook in Armada line
Compaq Computer Corp. last week released the next generation of its Armada series of notebook computers, upgrading several features but retaining backward and forward compatibility with the rest of the line. The Armada 7400 is close in size and weight to the 7300 line, but it comes with a larger sc
Digital Government
Vion offers Y2K mainframe rental special
Systems integrator Vion Corp. last week announced a program in which it would offer federal agencies an opportunity to rent Hitachi Data Systems Inc. mainframes that come with special tools for identifying and fixing Year 2000 problems in software. The rental program is focused on providing HDS' Ru
Digital Government
GAO circulates draft Y2K testing guide
The General Accounting Office this summer began warning federal agencies to approach Year 2000 testing with extreme coordination and discipline to ensure that federal computer systems work properly at the turn of the century. As many agencies move closer to testing rewritten computer date code, GAO
Digital Government
Federal IT security team reorganized
After almost a year of studying how to fund a governmentwide security program, the CIO Council last week expanded management of the federal computer security response team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to the General Services Administration. The Federal Computer Incident R
Digital Government
Defense strategy should mirror IT advances
Modern warfare concepts emphasize the effects of 'information dominance' or 'superiority' on maneuvers, logistics, precision weapons and 'force protection.' Information dominance is reflected in the Joint Staff's command, control, communications, computers and intelligence for the Warrior concept,
Digital Government
Army uses quick-buy method for large satcom pact
The Army's satellite communications program office has embraced the principles of acquisition reform, proving that the same methodology that speeds the purchase of small, lowcost products such as PCs can work with larger, more expensive satellite Earth stations. The Commercial Satcom Terminal Prog
Digital Government
Graeff grows IT culture at NIH
At the National Institutes of Health, where scientific breakthroughs are the mission, chief information officer Alan Graeff has made a career of information technology firsts. Before Graeff became the first NIH CIO, he spearheaded the development of standard desktop applications at the agency's Cli
Digital Government