Cybersecurity

Administration bows out of classified Hill briefing on OPM hack

A scheduled Capitol Hill briefing on the Office of Personnel Management hack didn't happen because of a dispute over transcription.

People

Is the 25-year-old CFO Act ready for the future?

The CFO Act has solved many of the problems it was intended to fix, but top federal financial managers are often too busy with compliance to deal with higher-level challenges, according to a new report.

Digital Government

VA's troubled IT is a campaign trail topic

Technology issues don't play a prominent role in the presidential campaign, but some Democratic candidates are exploring one key issue in their Veterans Day messages.

People

VA names new info security chief

CIO LaVerne Council tapped agency insider Brian Burns for the key role of chief information security officer.

People

CIO Baitman is bolting HHS

After a tenure that included a move to the cloud and the launch of HealthCare.gov, Health and Human Services Department CIO Frank Baitman is stepping down.

People

VHA taps Fred Mingo to help lead Vista Evolution

A 2006 Fed 100 honoree is taking a leadership role in one of the biggest IT projects in the federal government.

Digital Government

Nontechnical problems doomed joint VA/DOD health record, top official says

Chris Miller, the Pentagon's point man on electronic health records, offers some real talk on why interoperability between DOD and Veterans Affairs is proving so difficult.

Digital Government

Is the revised A-130 already obsolete?

A new top-level federal IT policy document, years in the making, is out for review. But did it neglect to incorporate lessons learned from big changes in IT management?

People

Can better personnel management smooth presidential transitions?

When the next U.S. President takes office in January 2017, he or she will inherit a sprawling and complex bureaucracy that will need an injection of talent at the highest levels. Are there new and better ways to make that happen?

People

OMB rolls out proposed A-130 changes

The Office of Management and Budget's A-130, a 15-year-old computer security guidelines document for federal agencies, is getting a refresh in light of new law and policy.

People

Big changes coming to VA OI&T

Some 100 days into her tenure, Department of Veterans Affairs CIO LaVerne Council is reshaping one of the government's biggest civilian side IT shops.

Cybersecurity

OPM security chief: You're gonna need a bigger boat

There's a playbook for what to do when a big data breach hits, says an OPM official who learned it all the hard way.

Cybersecurity

Here's what VA's decisive new CIO has planned

LaVerne Council is preparing to reveal a new cybersecurity strategy and an overall direction for IT operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

People

Obama names new watchdog at VA

Michael Missal, a D.C. insider with years of experience in governance and investigations, would take over the troubled Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Digital Government

Congress avoids a government shutdown ... for now

House and Senate both approve a measure to maintain funding at fiscal 2015 levels through Dec. 11.

Cybersecurity

Clinton aide wanted to go public about State's 'antiquated' tech

After leaving government, former top State Department official Anne-Marie Slaughter wanted to blow the whistle on shadow IT to get more funding for better tech.

People

Hurd on the Hill

Freshman Rep. Will Hurd builds a profile as Capitol Hill's go-to IT expert.

People

White House tech advisor dies in cycling crash

A key staffer in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Jake Brewer was 34.

People

CIOs: 'A strategic partner, not a coder-in-chief'

Agency heads, acquisition officers and even CIOs don't need to be hard-core techies. FCW's four-part look at the expertise that's really required to make federal IT run.

Cybersecurity

Legacy IT, legacy acquisition compound cyber risk

"We have architectures and hardware and software in places that is indefensible, no matter how much money and talent we put on it," says White House cyber advisor Michael Daniel.