Digital Government
Circuit
'Firefly' fan clubChief information officers are a somewhat geeky crowd. Transportation Department CIO Dan Mintz is a big fan of the Fox TV show "Firefly," a science fiction program created by writer and director Joss Whedon, who also created the popular programs "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." "Firefly," which only had 14 episodes before it was canceled, had an incredible cult following. Mintz hosted a regular lunchtime gathering for "Firefly" fans to watch the…
Modernization
Thompson: Setting the standard
OMB’s secure desktop configuration mandate is a good first step toward improved security
Acquisition
Petrillo: Wrong lessons learned
Procurement changes in the 1990s were radical departures from hard-won lessons of the past
People
Kelman: Washington’s fear industry
The rest of the country focuses on creating a positive workplace to motivate workers
Acquisition
Editorial: A Sun mess
The long-festering battle between Sun Microsystems and the government about allegations that the company overcharged agencies needs to end.
People
Voting under a cloud of suspicion
Decertification of touch-screen voting machines in California challenges public confidence in e-voting
People
Strength in numbers
Follow these 5 steps to build an effective and indispensable computer security incident response team
Modernization
FCC gets wired for disaster response
Agency launches Web database to report communications infrastructure damage
People
USDA outsources its finances
The Agriculture Department could smooth the path for other large agencies to outsource their financial operations with its decision to award Accenture a $102.6 million financial management services contract
Acquisition
Sun cancels its GSA schedule
Experts vary on how Sun’s long dispute with GSA could affect schedule program
Digital Government
Agencies urged to use EA to safeguard data
Mike Castagna, the Commerce Department’s chief information security officer, preaches about the close relationship that should exist between an agency’s enterprise architecture and its information assets.
People
Competition for HR services could heat up in fiscal 2008
The Office of Personnel Management and General Services Administration will award vendors a place on the Federal Supply schedule for human resources services by the end of the calendar year, and companies will begin competing to provide HR services to agencies shortly after that.
People
Justice IG finds inconsistencies in EVM data on Sentinel project
The Justice Department inspector general's third audit of Sentinel, the FBI's $305 million case management system, found progress in a number of management areas. But the IG also expressed concern about the program's cost, schedule and performance metrics. The IG said the FBI's implementation of earned value management is not providing consistent data. Sentinel contractor Lockheed Martin's price increased by $4.4 million, even though the EVM data showed the project was within budget, the IG said. The…
People
FBI tries to repeat program success
Officials say new IT handbook will help program managers follow best practices
People
GAO: DHS is still a work in progress
Congressional auditors tell agency what it must do to improve IT management
Modernization
Alliant protests won’t stop GSA
The General Services Administration is stuck at the starting gate with its latest major information technology contract, Alliant. Seven companies have filed eight protests against the contract’s award, and GSA must await a Government Accountability Office decision.
Acquisition
Security convergence means seeing the big picture
Employees who work in separate departments of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service regularly come together to discuss security convergence: bringing together building and network security operations.
Acquisition
Convergence is more than buzz
GSA seeks to revamp schedules to reflect merging of physical and computer security
People