Ideas
A Lesson from Al Gore to Obama?
Regardless of your party affiliation, it's hard to deny that President Obama has raised the profile of information technology and cybersecurity issues significantly since taking office. Along with appointing the nation's first chief information and chief technology officers, Obama has personally delivered a <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090529_1893.php">major speech</a> on cybersecurity and promised to deliver unprecedented transparency via the publishing of government data online.
Modernization
DISA OKs collaborative site for classified use
DISA's Forge.mil is designed for easy information sharing and cooperative software development and will operate on the Defense Department’s classified SIPRNet, the agency says.
Digital Government
OPM Plan Available for Comment
The Office of Personnel Management has posted its <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/07/opm_plan_goes_public.php">proposed strategic plan</a> on its Web site.
Digital Government
Best Places to Work Guide
The Partnership for Public Service and TMP Government has released a <a href="http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/agencies/guide.php">guide</a> to accompany its 2009 Best Places To Work in the Federal Government rankings, which evaluate employee satisfaction across 278 federal agencies and subcomponents. The new two-part guide provides tips, tools and guidelines to provide agency managers with a clear understanding of how to use the Best Places To Work data to improve workplace performance and organizational effectiveness.
Cybersecurity
The ethics of contracting: Still an open question
Experts today reacted to reports of inappropriate procurement activities at the Homeland Security Department by saying it was unclear whether such actions are common at other federal agencies.
Modernization
Committee approves bill to strip some IT requirements from Real ID
A bill that would remove costly information technology requirements from a secure identification law has been approved by a Senate committee.
People
GAO: VA, DOD said slow on sharing health data
The Veterans Affairs and Defense departments have made progress on health care data interoperability but still fall short in some areas, a new report says.
Digital Government
File sharing leaks sensitive federal data, lawmakers are told
The Washington Post
Digital Government
As slowdown drags on, IBM looks to governments for new growth
The Wall Street Journal
Digital Government
Agencies fail to make information sharing a priority
Intel official tells lawmakers the system for implementing cross-government efforts is broken.
Digital Government
Privacy protections could hamper agencies' adoption of cookies
OMB wants to allow the use of cookies to improve online services, but agencies may have to conduct privacy impact assessments to determine if they comply with privacy regulations.
Ideas
The Health Show Must Go On
After liberal and conservative House Democrats on Wednesday compromised on a health care bill, the <a href="http://energycommerce.house.gov/">Web site of the committee with jurisdiction</a> apparently went down due to "an unusually high number of visitors."
Digital Government
GSA, DISA To Make Nice On Satcom?
Over the past decade federal agencies have been able to buy commercial satellite communication services through either <a href=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW&contentId=18882>General Services Administration contracts</a> or those <a href=http://www.disa.mil/satcom/sco/index.html>managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency.</a>
Modernization
GSA, DISA collaborate on satellite contracts
The agencies are set to join forces to procure future commercial satellite communications. The joint strategy will tackle the impending expiration of contracts set to lapse between 2011 and 2012.
Cybersecurity
DHS officials skirted procurement ethics rules, IG says
DHS officials had inappropriate communications and committed other improprieties in four procurements, according to a new report.
Modernization