Cybersecurity
White House urges changes to clearance rules
The government plans to move to a continuous evaluation method for security clearances, which will require new IT systems to store and search through data.
Digital Government
U.S. to cede control of Internet naming system
When ICANN's contract to manage the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority expires at the end of September 2015, the function will be switched to a private, stakeholder-based group.
People
Financial system for HealthCare.gov lags
In January, the government warned of the potentially dire consequences if the financial management back end of HealthCare.gov were not up and running by mid-March. Mid-March has arrived, and the system has not yet been built.
Modernization
DOD expects to add nine commercial cloud providers
CIO Teri Takai said four companies are currently approved to run cloud services for the military, though only one has been publicly disclosed.
Cybersecurity
Panel votes to tighten federal website security
Under the legislation, any federal website that collects personally identifiable information from users would have to be certified as secure by the agency CIO before going live.
Digital Government
20 big-dollar IT budgets
Most of the biggest spending proposals are in the fiscal 2015 budget are agency-wide enterprise or infrastructure projects.
People
Cobert: TechStat will adapt to agile development
A renewed focus on improving IT delivery in the wake of HealthCare.gov’s troubles includes intervening earlier in the development cycle and examining the direction and risk of projects at the pilot stage.
Cybersecurity
Budget request for classified IT climbs 14 percent
Difference between budget request and IT Dashboard data suggests $6.15 billion for fiscal 2015.
Cybersecurity
2013 lapses drive new performance goals
The cross-agency priority goals announced in the 2015 budget grew out of the failures of HealthCare.gov and NSA security in the Snowden affair.
Cybersecurity
Federal agencies flunking FOIA
None of the 15 agencies studied earned an A on a Freedom of Information Act report card from the Center for Effective Government, and seven – including DOD, DHS and State – got an F.
Modernization
CMS extends Terremark's cloud hosting duties on HealthCare.gov
The extension is needed because the replication of Terremark data didn't begin until the end of December, making it impossible to make a scheduled March 31 move to Hewlett-Packard.
Acquisition
McCaskill probes 'clunky' contracting databases
Plans have been in place since 2001 to create an integrated contractor database, but delays, cost overruns and development problems have pushed back the scheduled completion date to 2018.
Modernization
House passes federal data center efficiency bill
The legislation would require OMB, EPA and the Department of Energy to lead the development of standards for measuring data center performance.
Cybersecurity
Feds seek info-sharing standards for private-sector data breaches
Federal law enforcement officials say national reporting standards could help investigators uncover culprits.
People
IT spending dips slightly in Obama budget request
All the net savings come on the defense side, where the request for IT funding is down about 6 percent from fiscal 2014 spending.
People
GAO: DOD, VA need to move on interoperable health records
The joint program needs better management and clear lines of responsibility, the watchdog agency said in a report.
Cybersecurity
Report: Government should backstop efforts to protect grid
A study from the Bipartisan Policy Center recommends incentives to persuade utility companies to comply with industry standards.
Cybersecurity
Report seeks more opportunities in shared services
Beyond saving money, the approach can help agencies focus on their core missions and improve accountability.
People
Behind the scenes at the HealthCare.gov tech surge
A new report reveals insider details from the scramble to save HealthCare.gov.
Modernization