Buzz Factor

: A survey showed feds get paid less than private-sector counterparts in similar jobs.: Federal salaries ranked an average of 2.1 percent less than private firms in this study, but other stories (see below) found different results. : FCW cartoonist and blogger John Klossner takes a stab at figuring out who gets paid more. : Readers say Klossner captured perfectly the difficulty of answering the question with any certainty.: The Air Force discovers that an existing tool, Lightweight Portable Security (LPS), can create the trusted endpoints needed to allow telework. : As telework becomes more common, the military and other agencies will encounter situations in which security is a sticking point. LPS might provide a solution in some cases. : Successful IT executives share tips on juggling multiple tasks. : Time management skills never go out of style, especially as budgets tighten and workloads expand. : At a recent conference, government leaders said telework needs to spread rapidly. : The Office of Personnel Management says managers are starting to get with the program. Will they move faster now? : A set-aside program for businesses owned by service-disabled veterans is ripe for abuse.: Based on reader comments, the story struck a nerve. Some said we were unfairly stigmatizing veterans, while others opposed the whole concept of set-asides. : A Republican lawmaker published a study purporting to show a pattern of fraud and carelessness in payments from government benefits programs.: The Obama administration has pledged to eliminate billions of dollars in improper payments in two years. : After months of unsuccessfully trying to persuade the Interior Department to allow it to compete on a contract, Google has taken the agency to court. : If Google wins, it could be more difficult for agencies to limit competition in the future.