Technology

The General Services Administration announced it has begun rolling out telepresence at various sites nationwide, as a frugal and green alternative to work travel, FierceGovernmentIT reports. Speaking at a conference last week, Mary Davie, assistant commissioner of integrated technology services at the GSA’s federal acquisition service, said there would be …

The Office of Management and Budget has announced it will close down two open-government federal websites because of cuts to the E-Government Fund, Federal News Radio reports. The two sites slated for shuttering are FedSpace, the General Services Administration’s online collaboration portal, and the Citizen Services Dashboard, which was to …

The Army’s cloud transition — moving 1.6 million email accounts to a Defense Information Systems Agency enterprise cloud — is now in question, after a House subcommittee voted to withhold 98 percent  of the program’s budget. The House Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee voted to withhold funding …

The General Services Administration will begin next year consolidating eight different databases containing information about contractors — everything from solicitation data and contract award amounts to rosters of suspended contractors — into a single database powered by open-source software. Federal Times reports that GSA will begin making progress next year …

Department of Homeland Security cyber expert Phil Reitinger will step down from his post June 3, Federal News Radio reports, citing government and industry sources. Reitinger, the deputy undersecretary of DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate, was appointed in June 2009 after serving as chief trustworthy infrastructure strategist at Microsoft. …

Department of Homeland Security CIO Richard Spires said predictions that the government would lose its best IT experts to retirement and attrition have proven akin to the claims of Chicken Little. “It tends be a bit of a sky-is-falling discussion about this. I’m not trying to say it’s easy but, …

Innovation was the watchword when government technology expert Dave McClure delivered his remarks at a recent ACT/IAC Management of Change conference in Hot Springs, Va. McClure, the associate administrator of the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, said, as the name of his unit implies, innovation …

White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will travel to the West Coast for ConnectivityWeek, a series of workshops and panels Silicon Valley BizBlog called a “who’s who” in smart-grid technology and deployment. The event, spanning four days and some 250 speakers, will also feature representatives from Silicon Valley giants …

The public unveiling of the administration’s international cybersecurity strategy yesterday brought out leading national security advisers, diplomats, and industry and academic representatives, all recognizing  that in 2011 cybersecurity is a part of national security. White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan and cyber coordinator Howard A. Schmidt hosted the event, …

The Federal Communications Commission is kicking off Small Business Week with a look at the importance of cybersecurity for smaller firms. As part of its efforts, FCC launched an online portal featuring cyber resources and held a cybersecurity roundtable today in Washington, specifically geared toward small businesses. The new portal …