Data centers, biometrics and a new CIO for DIA
News and notes from around the federal IT community.
Bill to standardize IT energy metrics for feds blocked in Senate
Retiring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) blocked a bid to expedite passage of energy legislation that would establish new metrics for measuring energy use in federal data centers.
The House passed the measure, 375-36, in March. It includes a provision, from a stand-alone bill by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), that focuses on federal IT. That provision would require the government to incorporate energy efficiency goals into IT acquisition; release information on federal data center energy use; and report on the impact of cloud, mobile and other technologies on federal energy consumption.
Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who collaborated on a Senate bill with Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), attempted to get unanimous consent to consider the measure on Dec. 16, but Coburn objected, likely killing the bill for this year.
DIA names new CIO; DOD CIO loses top cybersecurity hand
Janice Glover-Jones will be the Defense Intelligence Agency's new CIO, effective Dec. 28, the agency announced Dec. 16. Glover-Jones, who is currently deputy CIO, will succeed Grant Schneider, a longtime DIA employee who moved to the Office of Management and Budget on a joint duty assignment in October.
Glover-Jones will oversee an approximately $1 billion budget that provides IT support to over 60,000 customers worldwide, the agency said. In a statement, acting Director David Shedd said Glover-Jones' "expert knowledge of our people, our mission, and the intelligence community's predominant effort to field the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise initiative make her the right officer to be our next CIO."
She has been at DIA 28 years, rising from budget analyst to intelligence officer, and all the way up the chain to now CIO.
The agency had been searching for a replacement for Schneider in recent months, posting an advertisement to USA Jobs that offered up to $181,500 a year for the CIO position.
In other news, a top cybersecurity expert is leaving DOD to work for Mitre Corp, reports Federal News Radio. Dr. Robert "Rocky" Young, the head of emerging technology and cybersecurity in the DOD CIO's office, will join Mitre on Dec. 22, according to the report.
DOD deploys updated biometrics database
The Army’s Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems has deployed an updated version of the Defense Department’s biometrics data repository.
The Automated Biometrics Identification System is a database of fingerprints, palm prints, iris images and facial images used by combatant commanders and DOD agencies to identify adversaries. The deployment took place Oct. 14 and was announced this week.
Agencies including the departments of Homeland Security and State, U.S. Central Command and the FBI took part in the testing that allowed for the upgrade to ABIS 1.2, as the new version is called. The Army’s Electronic Proving Ground, along with its Test and Evaluation Command, carried out the testing.
The biometrics system can process as many as 30,000 daily transactions and hold up to 18 million records, according to the Army PEO EIS.