Digital Government

SSA testing Microsoft HealthVault

Federal Computer Week

Cybersecurity

White House, Homeland Security join forces on cybersecurity

Protecting computer networks is a team effort, officials emphasize.

Digital Government

Recovery Act Update: Details and Solutions Construction Professionals Need

FREE Webinar: Review the latest guidance and learn about the construction software used by the GSA. 9/16/09. Register Now!

Digital Government

Administration has yet to make proposed security policy revisions public

Transparency groups want an opportunity to comment before suggestions for preventing over-classification of government information are sent to the president.

Cybersecurity

Health IT group to offer security certification to vendors

The Health Information Trust Alliance will certify security products against its Common Security Framework as the government moves to establish an infrastructure, national standards and privacy requirements for the handling of electronic health care records.

Ideas

Storm Spike Due To Stronger Tech

On the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the agency charged with weather forecasting recently found that more storms have been identified since the late 19th century because of advances in information technology, not because there are more storms.

Digital Government

IG Slams VA IT Shop - Again

The Veterans Affairs Department lack of in-house expertise to support, manage and execute complex information technology projects contributed to the near collapse of the department's efforts to develop a <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090331_5665.php>new replacement patient scheduling application</a> at a cost of $167 million over eight years, the VA Inspector General said in a <a href=http://www.va.gov/oig/52/reports/2009/VAOIG-09-01926-207.pdf>report</a> released yesterday.

Digital Government

Health Records Come to SSA

The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft to test the use of its HealthVault application in the process of determining disability benefits. The technology, which allows applicants to gather, store and manage their families' heath information and share that information with their physicians and health care providers, contains the same types of information that Social Security generally obtains from people applying for disability benefits.

Cybersecurity

Bill would give president power to disconnect private networks

A Senate bill proposes giving the president the power to shut down and disconnect any government or private computer network or system that is compromised by a cyberattack.

Digital Government

Seeking Employees' Ideas Through Web 2.0

Federal Times <a href="http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=4253740">reports</a> that the Obama administration is planning to seek ideas from the 18,000 employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration on how to reduce the backlog and more quickly get benefits to veterans. The effort will involve a Web-based survey that will test how the government uses the Web and new technologies as well as define new ways of how agencies listen to their employees.

Cybersecurity

DHS sets new policy on computer searches at border

DHS issued two new directives that deal with searches of laptop computers and other devices at U.S. borders.

Modernization

Air Force angers small businesses with code decision

Officials are opting for a NAICS code that sets a larger small-business size standard after switching this spring from a code with a more restrictive size standard.

People

VA blames coding error for fatal disease scare

The VA now blames computer coding error for wrongly informing about 620 veterans that they have the fatal Lou Gehrig's disease.

People

SSA testing Microsoft HealthVault

SSA has made an agreement with Microsoft HealthVault to link to patient medical data to improve the determinations of disability.

Modernization

Microsoft continues battle to save Word

Microsoft's appeal essentially argues that a district court judge who held against it was incompetent as a gatekeeper and in striking the "delicate balance" needed in patent law disputes.

Modernization

Army expects new network to reduce costs 65 percent

The Army has ordered a new optical network linking White Sands and Fort Bliss that it expects to cut costs by more than half.

Modernization

Analysis: Still struggling to protect remote data

Three years after encryption mandate, transmitting information from the field continues to be risky.

Digital Government

District court rules in favor of Homeland Security on E-Verify

DHS did not violate law by requiring federal contractors to confirm work eligibility of their employees.