Modernization

DOD: Can virtualization make security more manageable?

Virtualization technology may be used to deal with the Defense Department's network security problems.

Cybersecurity

GSA to launch online storefront for cloud computing services

Site will be modeled after commercial online businesses such as Amazon.com to speed IT purchases, federal CIO Vivek Kundra says.

Modernization

GAO: Better management needed for e-health project

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are making progress on electronic health records interoperability, but the project's management needs to be improved, the Government Accountability Office said.

Modernization

GAO refreshes guidelines for rating computer data reliability

The GAO has released new guidance for assessing the reliability of computer-processed data used in conducting audits; it replaces previous guidelines published in 2002.

Modernization

USPS takes open source route to upgrade mainframe app

Postal Service IT officials have upgraded the service's 15-year-old mainframe system to handle more transactions and lower the cost of operating the system.

Modernization

New bills would make RF spectrum inventories open to public

Bills pending in the House and Senate would create inventories of RF spectrum managed by the NTIA and FCC, along with a Web portal to make the information public.

Modernization

Cobol remains old standby at agencies despite showing its age

As mainframe programming language Cobol marks 50 years of service, dedicated government users make plans for keeping the reliable old applications humming along.

Modernization

Cyberattacks could have been mitigated

Agency responses to cyberattacks on U.S. government sites demonstrate a need for better coordination between agency security officials and the companies that provide Internet services, experts say.

Modernization

E-mail lives, but do we need it?

Web 2.0 tools and cloud computing, which are supplanting e-mail in many cases, will become embedded in the business environment, and employees will expect them to be available.

Modernization

Web 2.0 can recruit new workforce

The next generation of federal employees will be looking for a government presence in social media, and the government will suffer if it is not there.

Modernization

NTIA wants volunteers to review broadband grants

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration wants volunteers to review applications for $4.7 billion in grants for broadband expansion.

Modernization

GSA announces list of Networx agency telecom awards

The General Services Administration has released a list of 86 federal agencies that have awarded contracts to telecom providers through the Networx contract.

Modernization

Bill would give VA's IT programs $767.6 million more

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a bill that would provide hundreds of millions more for the Veterans Affairs Department's information technology programs -- but some strings are attached.

Modernization

FEMA plans consolidation of IT support contracts

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will consolidate the ways it contracts for systems engineering support and technical assistance.

Modernization

Military seeks to marry communications, collaboration networks

The lessons of VOIP are helping expand and combine rich communications and collaboration on military networks.

Modernization

Virtualization: Organizations getting better at disaster recovery

A Symantec survey reveals the "rising [disaster recovery] pressures on organizations caused by soaring downtime costs and more stringent IT service-level requirements to mitigate risk to the business."

Modernization

Recommendations for reducing government secrecy roll in

The Public Interest Declassification Board continues to gather suggestions from the public on how the Obama administration can improve government policy for classifying data.

Modernization

U.K. mulls handing off national health records to Microsoft, Google

A reported plan for turning over government health records to Microsoft and Google is the subject of debate in the U.K.

Modernization

SSA to monitor social media sites

The Social Security Administration wants to monitor what the public says about the agency on social media Web sites.