Digital Government
SAP launches public-sector push
SAP America Inc. last week launched a publicsector marketing effort targeting the federal government among other organizations with its commercially popular business application software. SAP America the U.S. arm of German softwaremaker SAP AG began exploring the U.S. public sector last year [FCW
Digital Government
Fedwire
CSC forms team for IRS bid Computer Sciences Corp. last week said it will lead a team to pursue the Internal Revenue Service's prime contract for managing the tax system modernization. CSC's team includes IBM Corp. Northrop Grumman Corp. Science Applications International Corp. and Unisys Corp. The
Digital Government
DOD uses low tech to find MIAs
The Pentagon owns and operates the most advanced computer and communications equipment available but during this month's mission to recover remains of American soldiers missing in action in the Korean War the Defense Department had to opt for decidedly lowtechnology tools. Typically when the DOD P
Digital Government
Micro X pursues fed market
During the last four months the federal PC market lost one vendor but picked up another. In April Austin Computer Systems owned by IPC Technologies Inc. capped off a string of layoffs by dismissing most or all of its sales staff according to people familiar with the company and apparently discontin
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
They're in our sights As part of its Customer Focus Week the General Services Administration's Federal Telecommunications Service issued lapel pins to employees in commemoration of the event. Unfortunately the pins bear an uncanny resemblance to a target one might use for archery. As part of the ev
Digital Government
UPS strike snags resellers' IT deliveries
Just as the federal government was gearing up for the peak buying season the United Parcel Service (UPS) strike disrupted the flow of information technology products governmentwide and promises to cause more delivery problems if the work stoppage continues. The strike which involves 185 000 UPS emp
Digital Government
Small-biz goals raised 3 percent
After an internal debate was leaked to Congress contractors and the media the Clinton administration has agreed that federal goals for contracting with small businesses should be increased. In a compromise reached last week among Small Business Administration head Aida Alvarez Office of Federal Pro
Digital Government
Report: DFAS Y2K problems could affect millions
Millions of active and retired military and civilian personnel contractors and other parties could face financial hardships if the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) does not fix its Year 2000 computer problems according to a report issued last week by the General Accounting Office. In a
Digital Government
Intergraph unveils Windows NT-based graphics machine
Intergraph Computer Systems one of the biggest proponents of 'Wintel' technical computing last week unveiled a Microsoft Corp. Windows NTbased 3D graphics workstation that targets visual simulation and other applications. The TDZ 2000 does not replace an existing Intergraph product but establishe
Digital Government
Expansion of time-saving procurement reforms planned
The Commerce Department last week said a test of new acquisition procedures proved to dramatically shorten procurement times and the success has convinced officials to expand the program to other departmental agencies. The new procedures called Concept of Operations (CONOPS) shortened the procureme
Digital Government
Designers team via virtual reality net
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is developing a prototype network that will allow NASA designers and scientists scattered nationwide to collaborate in real time on spacecraft designs that will be used for future missions to Mars and other planets. The Integrated Spacecraft Design Environmen
Digital Government
GAO report urges hands-off approach to fed retirement formula
For years attempts have been made to tinker with the calculation of federal retirement benefits. A new report from the General Accounting Office illustrates that such attempts could have an adverse effect on the federal budget. Currently the government calculates a federal employee's 'average earni
Digital Government
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Move to ATM catches on I read with interest the article 'ATM: Civilian, Defense agencies start network installations' [FCW, July 28]. I work for the Directorate of Information Management at Fort Detrick, Md. We have recently upgraded our campus network to an ATM backbone, and we have switched 25 me
Digital Government
Industry Watch
Gateway announces workstation Gateway 2000 Inc. last week announced a workstationclass product running Intel Corp.'s Pentium II chip. The workstations will become the high end of Gateway's E Series line of PCs. The products are slated for availability in the calendar fourth quarter. Gateway's E Se
Digital Government
Titan's ICE may solve compression problems
A picture often equals or betters hundreds if not thousands of words but not if you try to stuff a large photo file down a thin communications pipe. Military communicators have tried to solve this problem with compression schemes that shrunk the picture but also reduced the sharpness needed when tr
Digital Government
OMB silence slows outsourcing
Agencies have less than a year to meet the Office of Management and Budget's June 1998 deadline for consolidating or outsourcing many of the 200 or so federal data centers. While it is not uncommon to wait until the 11th hour to begin work on a project the feetdragging also shows the ageold polit
Digital Government
Navy awards 5 BPAs
Over the last two weeks the Navy's Atlantic Fleet has awarded blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) to five vendors for PC notebooks desktops and servers that conform to the Navy's Information Technology for the 21st Century strategy. Under the new BPAs open Navywide BTG Inc. GE Capital Informatio
Digital Government
Intercepts
As DISA turns. In yet another installment of my favorite series 'What's Up on Courthouse Road? ' I've confirmed that Col. (promotable) James Hylton will depart the Army Signal Command at Fort Huachuca Ariz. later this month for a new job as director of operations for DISA. Hylton currently the ASC
Digital Government
Energy gives colleges access to super CPUs
Setting a new standard for government/academic partnerships the Energy Department announced plans to give five universities unprecedented access to the agency's supercomputers and $250 million in funding to develop advanced software tools for nuclear weapons research. Under its Academic Strategic A
Digital Government