Digital Government
For agencies, cloud's future lies between hype and reality
The technology is there and security is rapidly improving, but agencies now must decide if they're ready for the dramatic changes cloud computing can bring.
People
Applying for federal jobs may get easier
Federal hiring reform seeks to make the government job application process easier for candidates, OPM director says.
Digital Government
Health Care Data Gets Personal
The California HealthCare Foundation yesterday released results of what it is calling a <a href="http://www.chcf.org/topics/view.cfm?itemid=134205">"ground-breaking study"</a> of personal health records. Interestingly, the foundation emphasized findings that tend to fall in the "duh" category.
Acquisition
House panel proposes more defense contracting reforms
The IMPROVE Acquisition Act would improve competition, financial management and workforce issues and save $135 billion over the next five years. backers say.
Digital Government
Cybersecurity roundup: Training, stalling, deterring, outlook
Blogger Brian Robinson provides a quick tour of the latest developments in cybersecurity, including the idea of incorporating cyberware into basic training.
Cybersecurity
Contract rules need IT security standards, official says
A defense official has recommended changing the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require contractors' IT products to meet minimum security standards.
Digital Government
More people signing up for e-patient records, but widespread use low
Survey finds citizens still are skeptical about how safe their private medical information is; one-third say they would consider hiding data from their health provider.
Digital Government
Senate set to consider NSA chief as head of Cyber Command
Lawmakers have held up Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander's nomination because of concerns about the militarization of cyberspace, the command's relationship with the National Security Agency and the use of the Internet.
Digital Government
Acceptance of controversial body scanners is high, survey says
Travelers willing to sacrifice personal privacy for improved airline security.
Ideas
Cyber Reports Prod Senate Action
The federal government is not fully following information security initiatives, according to two separate reports published by the Government Accountability Office on Monday. Senators who requested the audits called for the creation of a permanent cyber czar in response to findings that agencies are not implementing a critical Homeland Security Department cybersecurity system, not reducing connections to external networks and not properly configuring security settings on workstations.
Digital Government
NSA on the Flash-Media Hunt
Shh, the National Security Agency has developed a software tool that detects thumb drives or other flash media connected to a network, and any federal agency can get a copy free -- no box tops or coupons required.
Ideas
Social Media Primer
Jesse Stanchak over at SmartBlog on Social Media wrote an interesting <a href=http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2010/04/12/the-abcs-of-pitching-to-influencers/>post</a> today on the ABCs of pitching to influencers (the media, basically). His theory: The widespread use of Web 2.0 technologies doesn't automatically equate to the effective use of those tools. Can his tips for using social media apply to federal agencies hoping to reach to the general public?
Cybersecurity
Passwords as Easy as 123
For a peak into what passwords people choose - and just how easy they are to break - check out <a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/04/11/passwords_we_love/">this article</a> the <em>Boston Globe</em> published on April 11. (It accompanied a <a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/04/11/please_do_not_change_your_password/">larger article</a> on a study that concluded the cost of changing passwords outweighs the benefits - another interesting read.) A security firm analyzed 32 million passwords stolen from the social applications producer called RockYou and posted online. (A hacker had broken into the system in December 2009.) The most popular passwords were a form of 123456. And No. 4 on the list? "Password."
Cybersecurity