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The Buzz Contenders
#2: Karen Evans on securityCan the federal government be shooting itself in the foot by publishing its secure Windows desktop configuration standard and the protocol for automatically monitoring that configuration? Some folks attending the Annual Security Automation Conference and Workshop last week in Gaithersburg, Md., said they were worried about that possibility. But Karen Evans, administrator for e-government and information technology at the Office of Management and Budget, said she had bigger worries. "It is…
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Managing human capital
Management isn't easy, and management in the government is even more complex. The latest example of that is the Government Accountability Office. Last week, GAO analysts voted 897 to 445 to unionize, joining the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Of course, that comes on the heels of GAO being named as the second best place to work in government by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public…
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John Stein Monroe | Telework’s digital tether
FCW Forum blog generates a lively exchange about what it means to work outside the office
People
Christopher J. Dorobek | OMB’s 483-day sprint
OMB officials said they will launch no new initiatives for the remainder of the Bush administration. There are better ways to motivate federal workers.
People
Ethics: Rules vs. common sense?
Industry executives worry that heightened ethics sensitivity will stymie productive and necessary relations between government and industry
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FCW Time Machine: 2002 | A good problem to have
People have plenty to say about the General Services Administration's schedule program, but one thing is for sure: Since procurement reforms kicked in, the schedules have consistently attracted more and more buying from agencies, indicating that GSA must be doing something right. So much so, in fact, that GSA's income from the fees it charges to agencies to buy from the schedules has far surpassed the costs for GSA to run the schedules and manage…
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Planners describe disaster strategies
Disaster preparedness leaders say they face crises expecting their best-laid plans will go awry
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General asks for shakeup in DOD’s C2 programs
Officials spearheading an experimental effort to streamline management of the military's information technology capabilities want more than $1 billion in adjustments to the fiscal 2009 budget request for command-and-control (C2) systems. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Hostage, who leads the requirements and integration directorate at the Joint Forces Command, said he submitted seven program change requests to senior Defense Department officials at the end of August. Hostage submitted his recommendations to the high-powered Deputy's Advisory Working…
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Feds offered data-sharing tool for anti-terrorism efforts
Agencies can use the architecture to support their information-sharing missions.
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OMB to explore Government 2.0
A deal with New Paradigm will help agencies craft e-gov strategies
People
DOD launches workforce study of contracting skills
Effort will study the skills and competencies of 26,000 DOD acquisition employees
People
Agencies can rehire retired experts
OFPP urges agencies to take advantage of a provision in GSA Modernization Act
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DARPA leads new AI research
Computer scientists have long sought to develop computers that can match the subject expertise that humans acquire during a career or a lifetime. Despite intensive work with expert systems and other forms of artificial intelligence, researchers have discovered that building a computer that can learn like a person is more difficult that they expected. Now, with a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program called Bootstrapped Learning, the agency wants to generate renewed interest in achieving…
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Giuliani: Federal workforce is too big
If elected president, he would invest more money in technology rather than replace many retiring workers.
People
HUD awards $42.6M program management contract
The Housing and Urban Development Department has awarded a $42.6 million contract to G&B Solutions of McLean, Va., to provide program management services and institutionalize program management approaches departmentwide.
People
GAO: VA data still at risk
Agency officials have taken numerous steps to secure sensitive data, but those initiatives are not comprehensive or mature enough to be effective, GAO auditors say.
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GAO analysts vote for union representation
By a wide margin, analysts at the Government Accountability Office voted Sept. 19 to be represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.
People