When I came to Washington years ago on what was to be a one-year fellowship, the senior administrative management position in government departments and agencies was typically an Assistant Secretary for Administration (AS/A) or perhaps an Assistant Secretary for Management (AS/M). In the majority of cases, those positions and their deputies were long-time careerists, recognizing […]
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Federal IT
The massive, governmentwide efforts to consolidate data centers and squeeze more efficiency, cost savings and security out of cloud computing are not without their challenges. Both require new ways of thinking and a willingness to embrace change — two things that can be very difficult for entrenched bureaucracies that are uneasy with the perceived loss […]
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Forty-five percent of Federal agencies reported that they were the target during the past year of a digital insider — an employee with authorized network access who knowingly steals or unwittingly exposes sensitive data. And at least a third of those agencies reported suffering an actual loss of data, according to a new survey by […]
Three prominent senators are urging the agencies in charge of allocating wireless communications spectrum to come up with a plan to share the valuable commodity in the 5.9 GHz band, a part of the spectrum sought by the auto industry to provide better safety on the highways. “The demand for spectrum resources continues to expand, […]
When it comes to mobile apps, don’t bite off more than your users can chew, say new findings gathered from the Federal CrowdSource Mobile Testing Program, a free service provided to Federal agencies by the General Services Administration (GSA). The program has been available since 2013 and has tested 14 agencies so far, with about […]
The Federal government spends close to $100 billion each year on Information Technology (IT). That’s a lot more than the $80 billion figure that shows up in the President’s annual budget and reports from Deltek and others. The latter number only shows spending from the 24 so-called Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies. It does […]
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Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott urged agencies to make the most of their new authority under the Federal Information Technology Acquisition and Reform Act (FITARA). At the August 11 FITARA Forum, Scott said cutting spending on legacy systems represents a unique problem because agencies are spending more than previously believed to prop up old […]
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Federal agencies increased their use of authentication and made other changes to improve cybersecurity during the 30-day “sprint” to strengthen computer networks and protect data, said Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott. “Agencies are reducing the number of privileged users and working with (the Department of Homeland Security) to scan their networks on an ongoing […]
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Defense Department spending on IT in Fiscal 2016 will exceed 2015 spending, according to two analyses. How much the IT spend will increase depends on whose analysis you read. Bloomberg Government predicts DoD will fork over $37.3 billion on IT in Fiscal 2016. In its five-year forecast, covering 2015 through 2019, IDC projects DoD will […]
Why can’t the government successfully complete complex IT projects? This question persists whether one is talking about Healthcare.gov or the recent data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management. The primary reason is the cumbersome way the government funds IT development. With agencies subsisting from one Continuing Resolution (CR) to the next, intermittent funding wreaks […]
Strategic sourcing is focused on reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while also delivering results, agility, and innovation. Private sector is well on its way to capitalizing on strategic sourcing, and in many industries, companies grow and die by how well they do strategic sourcing. Many of the public sector organizations, including federal, state […]
As you start your planning for 2014, consider three numbers: 90 83 1.05 During the 2014 fiscal year, sequestration will cut $90 billion in Federal discretionary spending. With the soft options already eliminated in 2013, the only decisions left are between bad and worse. Where can agencies find maximum savings with minimal pain? On average, […]