Ideas
Cyber Pays, Commodities Don't
HP announced the latest in a string of acquisitions on Monday, with plans to buy security software company ArcSight for $1.5 billion in cash. In the last six months, the PC manufacturer has announced plans to acquire Fortify, 3Com, Palm and 3PAR, to name a few, giving it a larger footprint in networking, mobile computing and -- most notably -- security.
Digital Government
Game changer: DOD rewrites its book on acquisition strategy
Defense Secretary Robert Gates releases a 23-point memorandum for reforming defense acquisition processes, with an increased focus on efficiency and productivity.
Modernization
California, Boston win awards for best government websites
Portals run by the state of California and the city of Boston were tops among municipal Web sites in a recent "Best of the Web" competition.
People
White House set to monitor federal performance goals online
President Barack Obama addressed about 8,000 federal managers in the Senior Executive Service today to gain their support for six performance improvement strategies.
Digital Government
Correction: Which projects are on OMB's watch list?
This article has been updated to correct the name of the contractor on FBI’s Sentinel program. The contractor is Lockheed Martin.
Digital Government
Beware of an impending e-records train wreck
Outdated technologies and inadequate transparency are hampering HHS's electronic health records effort, but the experience could provide lessons other agencies can use to avoid similar pitfalls, says columnist Michael Daconta.
Digital Government
Cops, collection agencies turn to data analytics
Some state and local agencies are turning to business analytics software to help fight crime and collect taxes and other payments.
Digital Government
DHS to combine databases for immigration management
A new Homeland Security Department system will combine data from multiple databases to detect fraud more readily and respond to information requests more quickly.
Acquisition
Proposal writers should do the work too
Blogger Steve Kelman takes a dim view of the practice of having professional proposal writers who are not involved in carrying out the work they bid.
Digital Government
Trimming your waste
For decades, the federal workplace has been rife with exhortations to be vigilant for “waste, fraud or abuse.” But up until now, much of the “waste” part of that—whether perceived as waste or not—has been chalked up to the cost of doing business.
Digital Government
President reminds senior executives performance is king
In a message to top leaders, Obama underscores the importance of government reform efforts such as closing the IT gap.
Digital Government