Ideas

Beating FISMA Stigma: 3 Steps to Reduce Friction Between IT Managers and IGs

Agencies that experience ongoing adversity between these internal offices should consider taking steps in the following three areas.

Digital Government

Report: Almost Half of IT Migrations Doomed to Fail

Successful migrations are likely to play a large role in the success or perceived failure of modernization efforts across the federal landscape.

Emerging Tech

Why CDC Wants to Tap Into Wearables

The agency is investigating wearable sensors that can alert first responders about radiation and chemical release.

Cybersecurity

Could a Name Change Clarify What DHS' Cyber Team Actually Protects?

A rebranding could help telegraph that our digital lives and physical safety now are intertwined, says the directorate head.

Cybersecurity

Can Obama’s cyber commission outlast his administration?

President Obama's recently announced Commission for Enhancing National Cybersecurity has ambitions to produce an actionable framework that will carry over to the next administration and seeks to invigorate a younger, more diverse cybersecurity workforce pipeline.

Digital Government

New White House Open Source Policy Makes it Easier for Agencies to Reuse Custom Software

The new Federal Source Code Policy will also include a pilot program to release some federally funded custom code to the public.

Digital Government

White House wants more sharable, reusable code

Federal CIO Tony Scott is pushing out a plan to allow custom code developed by or for the government to be shared across agencies, and in some cases released to the public.

Digital Government

US Is Going to Let Foreign Students Stay Longer—If They Studied STEM

Tech companies have long argued for immigration reform to let in more skilled workers.

Digital Government

GSA Looks for New Schedule 70 Manager to Oversee $15B in Tech Contracts

The agency is looking for someone to lead the largest IT acquisition vehicle in government.

Digital Government

IT Fund Gets a Thumbs Up from CIOs. But is $3 Billion Enough?

The federal government is planning to spend nearly $90 billion a year on IT next year.

Digital Government

DHS creates intel fast lane for select analysts

Report to Congress reveals the department has given some workers special accounts that bypass DHS data access control policies.

Cybersecurity

Pentagon flew handful of drones over U.S. in last decade

A DOD oversight report, released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from FCW and other outlets, sheds light on the complications that arise when the military puts its drones to use domestically.

Digital Government

A New 50-Trillion-Pixel Image of Earth, Every Day

Thanks to a small group of Silicon Valley’s satellite startups, we may never look at our planet again the same way.

Digital Government

The Government Is Secretly Huddling With Companies to Fight Extremism Online

A coalition of civil rights groups wants to be included in the meetings to keep the feds in check.

Cybersecurity

NSA overhaul includes acquisition

"We increasingly need to reach out to commercial companies," many of which are unfamiliar with federal acquisition regulations, said Jennifer Walsmith, NSA's senior acquisition executive.

Cybersecurity

Federal Agencies are Using Last Summer’s ‘Cyber Sprint’ to Justify Sole-Source IT Contracts

Some of these so-called sole-source contracts appear to violate federal contracting rules, according to procurement experts.

Cybersecurity

Study names countries most vulnerable to cyberattacks

In a new study, the U.S. ranks 10th among 44 countries most vulnerable to a cyberattack, and a former top Justice official said companies need to focus on resiliency.