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Feds Find Email Encryption Can Backfire October 26, 2012 How big is the U.S. government? It's big enough that federal agencies transmit 1.89 billion email messages every day -- an average of 47.3 million daily emails per agency. How confident are the agencies about protecting the sensitive content of those messages? In a recent survey, federal email managers and IT security experts expressed mixed views about email protection.

Legislation Aims to Slash Government IT Waste October 17, 2012 One of the classic items on the agenda for all presidential candidates, including incumbent Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, is to cut federal government waste. In fact, the Obama administration has been campaigning for nearly the past two years to reduce waste and improve the efficiency of federal information technology with a 25-point action plan.

Panetta Sounds Clarion Call for Cybersecurity Action October 15, 2012 While U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta did some silicon saber-rattling last week by raising the prospect of a preemptive strike against cyberattacks, he also delivered a wake-up call to Wall Street and Congress about cybersecurity. Panetta's message to the business leaders gathered at a meeting in New York of the Business Executives for National Security was very clear.

Panetta Rattles Cybersword October 12, 2012 In a wide-ranging speech on cybersecurity, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Thursday warned about a cyber Pearl Harbor, indicated the Department of Defense would respond in such a situation, called for greater public-private cooperation in cybersecurity, and talked about the need for a presidential executive order on cybersecurity.

The FCC's Wireless Spectrum Band-Aid October 04, 2012 The FCC has weighed in on the looming wireless spectrum shortage. The good news is it looks like it is going to step in with a plan for auctioning off unused television spectrum to various wireless carriers in the United States. The bad news is that even though it's only a bandage, it will take years to accomplish.

Federal Grants Wed Public-Private Cybersecurity Efforts October 02, 2012 The debate in the U.S. Congress over a comprehensive national cybersecurity program is wearing on, largely because of differences over the roles of government and business in protecting information technology. Elsewhere, however, cybersecurity awareness and research projects are being launched through cooperative efforts.

FCC Chips Away at Spectrum Problem With Incentive Auction Plan October 01, 2012 The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved a notice of proposed rulemaking that will lay the groundwork for the agency to auction television spectrum to mobile carriers. The NPRM establishes proposed rules and asks for public comment on the auctions. Under the proposal, U.S. television stations would give up spectrum in exchange for proceeds from an "incentive" auction -- a world first.

Iran Relents to Pressure, Reopens Gmail Access October 01, 2012 The Iranian government is reportedly reopening access to Gmail agter taking flak for its decision to block Google's email service. Even members of parliament have complained about the Gmail block. A member of parliament was quoted in Iranian media saying that the minister of telecommunications would be summoned for questioning if the Gmail ban wasn't lifted.

EU Cloud Strategy Ruffles US Industry Group's Feathers September 27, 2012 The European Union has announced a strategy to boost the use of cloud computing among its members in the private and public sectors. This includes establishing standards for interoperability, data portability and reversibility, the development of model contracts, government spending on cloud computing similar to what the United States is doing, certification, and requirements for data protection, security, privacy and user rights.

Feds: New Rules Needed to Tighten IT Contractor Security September 26, 2012 The U.S. government is worried about the improper release of federal information that finds its way into the electronic IT systems of all federal contractors. In a recent notice, the government said it was seeking comment from the business community on a proposal to tighten security related to the transmission of "non-public" information.

Weak Planning Cripples IT Leadership in Federal Agencies September 18, 2012 As IT innovation comes in rapidly evolving cycles, continuity and consistency remain important factors in managing change. The adoption of innovative IT calls for a certain amount of management stability to transition from old to new methods in productive ways. In turn, that stability depends on an organization's ability to provide orderly management succession planning and execution.

New Tool Verifies Authenticity of Gov't Social Media Sites September 14, 2012 Who doesn't stop twice to check out a letter from the Internal Revenue Service delivered in traditional snail mail paper form? Communications from the IRS or other federal agencies -- such as health information from the Centers for Disease Control, or consumer alerts from the Federal Trade Commission, are serious business.

GSA Inks Email Cloud-Service Deals With 17 Vendors September 05, 2012 Many U.S. government agencies seeking to utilize cloud-based information technology have tilted to one of the most common IT functions as a beginning step -- email systems. Converting existing email operations to cloud-based platforms became much easier for all federal agencies on Aug. 30, when GSA awarded a set of IT contracts to 17 providers for cloud and related services.

Selling Cloud Services to Feds Requires a Rainbow of Marketing Tactics August 31, 2012 What is the best way to market cloud IT services to the federal government? Any way you can. U.S. government agencies share the same goal: Under a White House mandate, all agencies must give priority to cloud configurations for IT projects. With all agencies pursuing the same "cloud first" goal, marketing cloud services, it seems, should be fairly straightforward for cloud providers.

Federal Budget Watchers Zoom In on Cloud Spending Plans August 24, 2012 It seems so easy and so simple. Federal agencies should put most of their efforts into their missions and use management tools which enable them to meet mission goals. One such tool is cloud technology -- an "on demand" option for information technology services. In concept, the simplicity of using on-demand IT pretty much the way water comes from a tap is appealing.

Greater Malware Threats Demand Greater Federal Agency Vigilance August 15, 2012 Information technology security is an unending challenge for both the private and public sectors. Private sector firms have their own security protocols and commercial motivations to ensure security -- as well as the obligation to meet appropriate government regulations.

Federal Cloud SLAs: Devil's in the Details August 07, 2012 Cloud technology appears to have taken the world by storm. The U.S. government is among those moving aggressively to the cloud, as federal agencies implement a White House generated "cloud first" policy that instructs agencies to give primary consideration to using the cloud for IT solutions.

New Breed of Brokers Could Jump-Start Federal Cloud Migration August 01, 2012 How easy is it to sell a house, shop for a mortgage, select a mutual fund -- or even make a plane reservation? Sometimes it's not very easy: Mortgage offerings are numerous and complex, and choosing among thousands of mutual funds can be overwhelming. Enter the broker.

EPA Contract Reflects US Cloud-Based IT Ambitions July 24, 2012 U.S. government agencies are trying to meet fast-track goals to improve the acquisition and management of information technology resources. In a government setting that inherently involves myriad checkpoints, protocols, policies, and an exasperating budget process, change does not come easily or quickly. One exception could be the Environmental Protection Agency.

Securing Federal Employees' Mobile Devices: Big Opportunities, Big Challenges July 20, 2012 The burgeoning market for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is not only affecting consumer use of information technology, but also having an impact on the private sector workplace. The mobile IT market is clearly hot. Worldwide shipments of major brand smartphones increased by 50 percent to 152.3 million units in the first quarter of 2012 versus the same period last year, according to IDC.