Digital Government

The young trust government, not the market, to protect their privacy

By a large margin, those 35 years old and younger believe it's federal agencies' role to take the lead in protecting Americans' personal information, poll finds.

Digital Government

OPM claims victory in huge e-payroll system consolidation

Merging 26 networks, some as old as 50 years, into four will save agencies more than $1 billion during the next decade.

Digital Government

Outside Washington, Recovery.gov gets high marks for ease of use

Some have criticized the way the site, which tracks the stimulus spending, presents data, but others say it is understandable and they grasp what can be learned.

Digital Government

Agriculture Department restructures management offices

None of the 2,800 employees affected will face layoffs, but some could be offered incentives to leave.

Digital Government

Protests halt CSC's work on TSA infrastructure contract

Unisys Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. have filed protests with the Government Accountability Office objecting to the awarding of a $500 million contract to Computer Sciences Corp.

Digital Government

What's at Stake in VistA Project

As I <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20091014_6336.php>reported last week</a>, the Veterans Affairs Department <a href=http://www.iaconline.org/Pages/default.aspx>asked the Industry Advisory Council</a> for its help in modernizing its venerable, but more than two-decade-old, Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture, or VistA.

Cybersecurity

Bill would make fraud-detection available for TARP

Technology the credit card industry uses to detect fraud could be applied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to an expert who helped draft a House bill that calls for the use of such technology.

Ideas

'Used Gov' and Social Messaging

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen and his team at the Nielsen Norman Group recently released a research report on the design and usability of social messaging and RSS feeds. In the <a href="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/streams-feeds.html">outline of the findings</a> Nielsen posted on his <a href="http://www.useit.com">Web site</a>, he bluntly states, "we have a long way to go to improve the usability of social network messaging and RSS feeds."

Digital Government

Federal Pay Gap Rises In 2009

Alyssa Rosenberg <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=43832&dcn=todaysnews">reports</a> at <em>Government Executive</em> that the gap between average pay for federal and private sector workers rose 1.25 percent in 2009, according to the Federal Salary Council. The pay gap increased from 25.71 percent in 2008 to 26.42 percent in 2009, with the largest gaps occurring in Cincinatti (4.52 percent); Sacramento, Calif., (2.82 percent); Washington (2.8 percent); Hartford, Conn., (2.63 percent); and New York City (2.61 percent).

Ideas

No Need for IT in Cabinet

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano shot down the prospect of a cabinet-level information technology position during an online video address on Tuesday.

Acquisition

Justice needs technology support

The department is considering as many as 15 contracts on a multiple-award contract along with a possible small-business set-aside.

Digital Government

DOD budget forecast threatens new technology deployments

Personnel and equipment costs might cut deeply into key defense acquisition programs over the next several years, reports Michael Bruno at Aviation Week.

Cybersecurity

Napolitano asks public's help with cybersecurity

Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano said today cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and urged private persons to get involved.

Digital Government

HHS faces hurdles on electronic exchange of medical lab results

Medical labs vary widely in how prepared they are to use electronic medical records, according to testimony today.

Digital Government

Perspective on Future of Federal IT

Navy Department Chief Information Officer Robert Carey <a href="http://www.doncio.navy.mil/Blog.aspx?ID=1380">writes</a> at the Navy CIO Blog about the future of the federal cybersecurity and IT workforce. Carey offers some perspective on how to move the workforce into the information age and deliver more effective IT in support of mission needs.

Modernization

3 governing challenges, 3 Web solutions

Agencies use Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs and wikis, in a technique named crowdsourcing to get public input on policy issues.