The government will cut the cost of managing its central Web portal, USA.gov, in half by adopting “cloud computing†for hosting, storage and disaster recovery services, the General Services Administration, which runs the site, announced today. Cloud computing is the use of Internet-based technologies to allow users to access programs and other information from Web browsers or virtual servers. Virtualization of hosting and storage will give GSA the flexibility to quickly add and change functions and allow the agency to readily respond to increased demand on USA.gov. GSA has hired Terremark Worldwide to power USA.gov virtually. By moving to a…
Browsing: Information Technology
The Federal Aviation Administration notified 45,000 employees and retirees yesterday that files containing their personal data were hacked and their information was electronically stolen. The hacker breached 48 FAA files, two of which contained the personal information. Only employees on the payroll as of the first week of February 2006 are affected. Those individuals will be notified by letter and law enforcement has been notified, FAA said. In a statement FAA said: The FAA is moving quickly to prevent any similar incidents and has identified immediate steps as well as longer-term measures to further protect personal information. The agency is…
We reported yesterday that President Barack Obama planned to order a 60-day review of national cybersecurity policy. The president officially made that announcement last night, just before his prime-time press conference. Melissa Hathaway, currently the top cybersecurity official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will lead the review; she’s expected to become the nation’s first “cyber czar” after the review is complete. The White House’s full announcement is after the jump.
The White House is reportedly close to naming a new Office of Management and Budget E-government and Information Technology Administrator. Vivek Kundra, the chief technology officer of Washington, D.C., is expected to be nominated to replace Karen Evans, according to Federal News Radio.
Some employees of the National Science Foundation (NSF)Â have been using their government computers to look at materials that are decidedly not safe for work (NSFW). And that has caught the eye of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley has launched an investigation into the misuse of computers at the agency after the NSF’s inspector general reported in December that it investigated six employees for downloading, viewing, saving and sharing pornographic videos and images at work. On his blog, Grassley said: This report raises real questions about how the National Science Foundation manages its resources, and Congress ought to demand a…
Tom Vilsack said yesterday he hoped to snag some stimulus money for IT modernizations at the Agriculture Department, but he may have to get in line behind the White House. Seems that yesterday there was a nearly 24-hour email outage in the West Wing that was resolved early this morning. The Washington Post gives a full account of the panic caused by what it terms a “mysterious ‘server outage’†here and here. Apparently people had to talk to other people using devices called telephones and do business on stuff called paper. No word yet on what caused the outage, though…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said modernizing agency information technology systems and addressing the aging work force will be top priorities for him. He said during a teleconference earlier today: It is important to me that the USDA be also a place of a modern workforce and a modern workplace. We’ll be focusing on IT improvements, process improvements and an empowered and diverse workforce to make that happen.â€
The new WhiteHouse.gov is up and running. Its inaugural blog post promises timely communications with the public, transparency and public participation. But the most exciting part of the site for this FedLine reporter is the fun facts page. Because we all know I have no interest in fun facts of any sort, right? 😉
Change.gov will become WhiteHouse.gov just after noon tomorrow, according to Agence France-Presse. Many believe Change.gov to be emblematic of how President-elect Barack Obama will use the Web to advance his priorities of a more participatory and transparent democracy. Over the next few days other federal Web sites will also start to look a bit different as dozens of familiar names, like Michael Chertoff and Condoleezza Rice, are erased from government Web sites and replaced with the new administration officials, like Janet Napolitano or Hillary Clinton. The process is likely to be quick, said Casey Coleman, chief information officer for the…
Last week, I wrote about a nonprofit group’s recommendations for a successful electronic government. This week, the Chief Information Officers Council is weighing it with its recommendations in a newly released report the council has shared with the Obama transition team. Here are the some of the key recommendations from the CIO Council on how to make e-government successful: Government must tap the power of collaboration both within its own ranks and with citizens. By letting citizens and employees “take what they need†and “share what they know†government can improve effectiveness and efficiency by creating an environment where the most up-to-date…