People
Key systems miss Y2K deadline
Although the majority of the federal government's missioncritical systems are Year 2000 compliant, three congressmen warn that the government's most vital operation systems including those in the Defense Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services remain vulnerable to the Year 2000 computer problem.
Digital Government
Letters to the Editor
Outsourcing Hot Buttons I just finished reading your article on San Diego County's outsourcing of information systems services. I found it interesting that no IS professionals were in the decisionmaking process. I wonder how Ron Roberts would feel if IS professionals decide to outsource the county
Digital Government
Agenda
April 6 Bringing WebtoHost Technology Into Focus. Burlington Marriott. Burlington, Mass. (Also April 20 in Washington, D.C.) The seminar is designed for organizations considering the integration of Webtohost technology into an existing network infrastructure. For more information, call (781) 27
Digital Government
Horn hands agencies poor financial grades
The chairman of a House oversight committee last week gave half of the major federal agencies failing grades on their ability to manage financial information. Some observers say the poor performance stems, in part, from inadequate or outdated information systems. Rep. Steve Horn (RCalif.), chairma
Digital Government
National Gallery puts art lesson on CD-ROM
Through its Micro Gallery interactive computer system, the National Gallery of Art has made it possible for people to learn about at their own pace more than 1,500 pieces of the gallery's permanent collection. Much of that collection and knowledge now is available to the world through an intera
Digital Government
Fax servers set sights on administration, ease
Written and Tested by Andre Kvitka With dozens of fax server products available on the market, choosing one over another can be a timeconsuming and very confusing process. Our comparison of four fax servers [FCW, Feb. 8] made it clear that the best products combine comprehensive fax server adminis
Digital Government
DOD should define requirements for GBS
The Defense Department has begun to build the Global Broadcast Service, which will enable DOD to send information such as imagery, intelligence information, missile warnings, weather forecasts and other information to alleviate the load on other military communications systems. GBS will be able to
Digital Government
Newsfeed
Backup Plan for Y2K State/Federal Interfaces The president's Year 2000 office said almost all of the states were making 'excellent progress' in preparing their federal program interfaces for the millennium date change. A report by the President's Council on Y2K Conversion said that while 48 states
Digital Government
Support the New Tax Moratorium
The arrival of electronic commerce means that all the trappings of businessinvestment capital, shopping, bidding, buying and selling (in short, money)are flowing more often over networks. Not just over big networks between established centers of trade but also smaller network capillaries that con
Digital Government
Fedwire Briefs
AT?#038; Amp;T files for lower FTS 2000 prices Officials at AT?#038; Amp;T Government Markets said they sent a proposal April 2 to the General Services Administration to cut the prices on AT?#038; Amp;T's FTS 2000 long distance telecommunications network. John Doherty, AT?#038; Amp;T's vice president of FTS 2000 and civilian markets, sa
Digital Government
'Cruel' budget pinches pilots' IT on aircraft carrier
Faced with not enough funds to upgrade systems in older aircraft, pilots aboard this aircraft carrier must rely on commercial handheld Global Positioning System receivers to help navigate their older Tomcat fighters, which are not equipped with builtin military systems.
Digital Government
Work needed to effect true reform
Last month's revelation that pilots are flying dangerous missions over Kosovo without the benefit of some information technology that could save lives should serve as a strong reminder that procurement reform is a work in progress. As reported by Federal Computer Week, retired topranking military
Digital Government
DOJ inks deal for records access
The Justice Department last month inked a deal with ChoicePoint Inc. to provide federal investigators with online access to a wide array of public documents, which should make it easier and faster to track down suspects and solve cases. The DOJ contract, worth an estimated $5 million a year over th
Digital Government
A Lesson From the 'Goose Egg Five'
On Dec. 29, 1998, Oregon's Statewide Year 2000 Project Office took its first Year 2000 hit. It had nothing to do with a computer malfunction. It had everything to do with a communication malfunction. That day The Wall Street Journal published a lengthy article headlined 'Year 2000 Problem Is Bearin
Digital Government
Serbs launch cyberattack on NATO
Unidentified Serbian computer hackers last week successfully denied public access to the main World Wide Web server supporting the public affairs apparatus of the United Statesled NATO operation in Kosovo, rendering the server virtually inoperable for several days.
Digital Government
PC Docs upgrades management suite
PC Docs Group International Inc. next week will announce an upgrade to its document management product suite that is designed to make accessing documents easier. Version 3.0 for each of three products would enable users to run a PC Docs system across multiple servers, allow offline use of the syste
Digital Government
Roster Change
Arnold Bresnick, associate chief information officer at the Agriculture Department, will retire from government June 3. Bresnick also is chairman of the Information Technology Resources Board. Rep. Tom Davis (RVa.) last month received the Electronic Industries Alliance's first Congressional Techno
Digital Government
Captive soldiers lacked critical GPS radios
The Army last week acknowledged that the three U.S. soldiers captured by the Yugoslav army were not outfitted with a specially designed radio that could have provided their rescuers with accurate information on their location. A spokesman for the Army confirmed that the three soldiers patrolling in
Digital Government
Soloway tapped to head Defense Reform Initiative
In a move designed to solidify a culture of reform throughout the Defense Department, Defense Secretary William Cohen recently shifted responsibility for the Defense Reform Initiative to the office overseeing the Pentagon's acquisition reform efforts. The organizational change places Stan Soloway,
Digital Government