Digital Government
Juicy Reports on VA IT Shop Coming
The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general has completed two reports (<a href="http://www.va.gov/oig/publications/reports-list.asp">listed here</a>) whose titles are ripe for tabloid headlines: "Administrative Investigation Misuse of Position, Abuse of Authority, and Prohibited Personnel Practices Office of Information & Technology Washington, D.C." and "Administrative Investigation Nepotism, Abuse of Authority, Misuse of Position, Improper Hiring, and Improperly Administered Awards, OI&T, Washington, D.C."
People
The next phase of Network Centric Solutions
Gregory Garcia discusses the structure of the new NetCents-2 contract and what it means for users and small businesses.
Digital Government
Favorite bookmarks of Rising Star winners
Here are some of the sites that our 2009 Rising Star award winners identified as their favorite online destinations.
People
Social-media bans miss the mark
Three reasonable steps could help agencies avoid categorical bans that undermine security and collaboration.
People
A call for action, not studies
Former OFPP Administrator Dee Lee argues that a well-trained workforce is the most important ingredient for acquisition success.
Digital Government
Face-to-Face Buzz
Robert Behn, a professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, <a href="http://www.hks.harvard.edu/thebehnreport/August2009.pdf">makes a case</a> in this month's issue of his public management report that effective management - which motivates people to creatively develop effective strategies for producing better results - cannot be achieved through e-mails, conference calls, or telecommuting in your pajamas, but rather through creating face-to-face buzz. Behn also contends that people are more productive, creative and effective when they work closely together.
Modernization
State plans to seek help for data center consolidation
The State Department plans to award a task order for help with its data center consolidation program.
Digital Government
Personal health records rule cracks down on vendors
The FTC published a final rule that will require vendors of personal health records to notify consumers if their security has been breached.
Digital Government
Obama and the 9/11 GI Bill
Yesterday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix, Ariz., President Obama <a href=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-the-veterans-of-foreign-wars-convention/>called</a> for a new reform effort in the Veterans Affairs Department. He said VA should harness the best computer system to cut red tape, reduce the backlog of claims, slash wait times and deliver benefits sooner.
Modernization
A SWAT team for enterprise app woes
The Coast Guard Operation Systems Center employs a dedicated task force to troubleshoot complex problems with its own applications.
Acquisition
Agencies push small-biz outreach efforts
Commerce Department and Small Business Administration officials plan more than 200 events before mid-October.
Cybersecurity