2010 was a watershed year for cybersecurity. Cyber attacks and, even, talk of cyber war were on the rise. New terms entered our lexicon, such as WikiLeaks, Stuxnet, and some terms took on a new life: Anonymous, anyone? But, in an interview with Newsweek, Howard Schmidt, the White House cybersecurity czar, seemed to take it [...]

The latest evidence of a double standard emanating from the halls of Congress splashed across the headlines last week. When Defense Department officials, who require Senate confirmation, are appointed to their posts, they are barred from owning stocks and bonds from nearly 50,000 companies that work as contractors for DoD. The thinking goes that these [...]

The Vote In a vote that was closely observed, live-blogged, live-streamed and tweeted about, the Federal Communications Commission, as expected, approved the first-ever Internet access regulations yesterday. The vote is poised to enshrine the concept of net neutrality — the idea that all Internet traffic be treated equally — into law. The Regulation The 3-2 [...]

When technology leaders wax philosophic about health IT initiatives, they generally only mean one thing: electronic health records, which advocates from industry to the White House believe will revolutionize care. But, while EHRs as well as how healthcare providers show they are meaningfully using them will likely continue to be the top health IT headline [...]

The Federal Acquisition Service is reorganizing following a number of new staff changes at the General Services Administration’s main acquisition arm, according to an FAS memo. Steve Kempf, commissioner of the FAS, who is staying put, issued the memo to FAS staff yesterday, writing the staff changes reflected the “transitions and new beginnings” that usually [...]

As more federal agencies and departments look to cloud-computing platforms, some organizations are sharing their success stories. Recovery.gov, the website clearinghouse for financial data about disbursed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, is one example of an early cloud adopter leading the way for other federal agencies. Michael Wood, director of Recovery.gov, told Federal News [...]

True to its name, the continuing resolution passed by the Senate late last week isn’t the end of the government funding saga: it only prolongs – or continues, if you will – the story. The CR, passed late Friday, after the Senate failed to pass a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill, will fund the Defense [...]

In the world of electronic health records, David Blumenthal the national coordinator for health IT is a celebrity. Health Leaders Media, in a list of the top 20 change agents in healthcare, goes even further, calling him a verifiable “rock star.” HealthLeaders20, a compilation of healthcare figures changing the industry “for the better,” this year [...]

When federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra unveiled the government’s fixes for federal IT in the form of a 25-point overhaul of management and acquisition, the new cloud-first policy was one of the bullet points that had many tongues wagging. But, while cloud computing has inspired much talk, many are now asking how to go [...]

As the 2012 deadline for switching to a new version of the Internet protocol creeps up on federal agencies, some are simply not making adequate progress, the chairman of the IPv6 task force said last week. And, while some agencies are taking the necessary steps, too many others are being left in the dust, said [...]