Digital Government
Advice to ex-feds: Don't forget where you came from
The federal IT universe is heavily, and increasingly, populated by ex-feds -- people who've taken buyouts or been the victim of downsizing or just deserted for the greener pastures often available in the private sector. Because I'm now an ex-fed as well, I am hardly in a position to complain or to moralize, although I hope that the Jim Flyziks and the many hundreds of other good folks in the federal IT work force stick it out with the government as long as possible. We need good people in the federal government's IT talent base in an era where the need for IT talent has not diminished but where public-private salary gaps are wider than ever. I feel a real sense of admiration for those manning the forts in the government.
Digital Government
Windows 98: Beta sports few new features for feds
For all the sound and fury that has accompanied its development, Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 98 operating system is likely to have more impact in the political arena than in the government market.
Digital Government
DOD, VA to develop info sharing initiative
The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs have agreed to work together to develop a system that will allow DOD and VA health care providers to share patient records and related information electronically.
Digital Government
Adding a dose of reality to Y2K
The Federal Election Commission last month awarded a software development and research company a contract to make campaign finance reports available and searchable online.
Digital Government
Merged standard could allow governmentwide secure e-mail
In a move that could extend Defense Message System capabilities to civilian agencies at lower costs and allow governmentwide secure e-mail interoperability, the National Security Agency has committed to merging its secure messaging protocol with the de facto commercial standard.
Digital Government
No OMB extensions for disability retirement claims
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that the Office of Personnel Management has no administrative discretion to extend the time limit for filing a disability retirement claim
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
According to the General Services Administration's IT policy World Wide Web page, federal authorities last month were investigating Santa Claus, identified as the CEO of North Pole Enterprises, for multiple violations of citizens' privacy. According to GSA, Claus is suspected of maintaining extensive computerized files on the habits of nearly 400 million persons throughout the world, most of them children.
Digital Government
Outsourcing opens security risks
The federal government's push to outsource its operations, including information technology programs, has created new opportunities for unauthorized access to private and sensitive information stored in government databases.
Digital Government
NOAA overhauls Web site, agencies join to fight fraud
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has overhauled its home page to reflect the rich data and images the agency collects as part of its mission to monitor, assess and predict oceanic and atmospheric conditions.
Digital Government
Year 2000 survival is No. 1 priority for federal agencies
Is survival of the millennium the focus of your agency's Year 2000 compliance program? If not, it should be. It's too late to concentrate on overall compliance of your information technology enterprise - the fact is, there will be problems and issues regardless of the strength of your overall approach and how long your plan has been in place.
Digital Government
FEC will put campaign finance data online
The Federal Election Commission last month awarded a software development and research company a contract to make campaign finance reports available and searchable online.
Digital Government
ESRI introduces new Internet mapping tool
Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. this month will begin a push in the federal market with a new product designed to make it easier to share maps over the Internet.
Digital Government
Decker makes a career of battling bureaucracy
Ron Decker's career illustrates how the efforts of forward-thinking federal employees often are stymied by bureaucracy and turf issues. But it also shows how persistence can force these new ideas to ultimately take hold and change things for the better.
Digital Government
What are the rules on unsolicited proposals?
A company official raised the following topic: We believe that our company has some innovative ideas that we'd like to offer the government. What are the rules on submitting unsolicited proposals to government agencies?
Digital Government
Network file servers deliver speedy data access
The network file server, a specialized system for users who need fast access to large stores of data, may still be a niche market, but the product itself is evolving rapidly.
Digital Government
SEC paperless push leaves documents out in the cold
As part of its effort to become a truly paperless organization, the Securities and Exchange Commission said this month it will begin returning to companies and individual investors all paper documents that should have been filed electronically.
Digital Government
DOE designs system for secret documents
The Energy Department plans to develop a cutting-edge computer system to speed the declassification of some 280 million pages of information dating from World War II to the present.
Digital Government
Lockheed snares $210M telecom pact
Lockheed Martin Technical Services last week captured a five-year, $210.4 million contract to provide telecommunications and computing support services for the Environmental Protection Agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters, adding the win to a $259 million pact it received in October 1997 to support the agency's North Carolina-based National Computer Center and regional offices nationwide.
Digital Government
Smaller contracting staffs rely on IT to cope
Buyouts and hiring freezes at federal agencies have reduced the procurement work force by nearly 12 percent during the past five years, forcing the remaining contracting officers to develop strategies for coping with a growing workload.
Digital Government