Technology

The Department of Homeland Security has named a new director of the National Cybersecurity division to replace Nicole Dean, who is leaving Jan. 22 for Raytheon, Federal News Radio reports.  FNR obtained an email indicating that the agency had named John Streufert to be director of the division and DHS …

While there is guidance available for both the public and private sector for cybersecurity, the Government Accountability Office has decided that more could be done to promote the appropriate use of the current guidelines in place. The GAO issued a report outlining a study of private sector cybersecurity guidelines in seven …

The Energy Department and the Department of Homeland Security will work with electric companies to develop new cybersecurity measures to protect the nation’s energy grid, DOE announced Thursday. The initiative is part of the White House’s newly released “Electric Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Maturity” project. “Establishing a comprehensive cybersecurity approach …

Looking back at 2011, besides government gridlock, government-wide budget cuts have been a recurring theme. From the Pentagon to NASA, government agencies and entities have felt the constraints and have had to rethink their strategies in order to adapt for the future. A looming question for some is how budget …

In an effort to improve the “FCC online experience,” the Federal Communications Commission launched its public beta domain last week, where users can choose widgets and create a customized page. According to the announcement by FCC Managing Director David Robbins, MyFCC allows users to create a personalized page featuring the agency’s …

For more than a year, Congress has been trying to hammer out spectrum legislation that includes funding for a national public safety network. In early December, House GOP leaders tacked on an approved version of spectrum legislation to the one-year extension of the payroll-tax cut, passed by the House last …

The government is taking strides toward implementing cloud first initiatives and in conjunction with FedRAMP, there is a big opportunity to get smart about consolidation, according to federal chief information officer Steven VanRoekel. VanRoekel made these comments at a Dec. 16 conference in Washington sponsored by ACT-IAC and the Association for Federal …

Similar to the National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s budget showing shifts toward cybersecurity, the FBI is reportedly to receive more special agents for cyber efforts. A report by InformationWeek indicated the proposed Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for 2012 allots for increased funds for cyber and …

The Defense Department is aggressively working to consolidate and simplify its information technology networks, according to a department strategy report. The Pentagon says the report lays the foundation for how it will handle IT related issues to improve overall efficiency and cut costs. According to Teri Takai, the defense chief …

Last year, the White House set a goal to close 800 data centers by the end of 2015. Today the federal chief information officer said it is ahead of schedule for reaching its goal. Steven VanRoekel cited data center closures as means to “[cut] spending on wasteful, underutilized hardware, software …