Emerging Tech

Air Force CXO: We Don’t Have to Delight the User

Colt Whittall, the Air Force’s first chief experience officer, talks with Nextgov about the new role and what it will take to provide a better user experience for airmen.

Modernization

An Insider’s Take on How to Focus on Government's IT Strengths

From Healthcare.gov to 18F, Ed Mullen shares insights on how APIs and user experience could fundamentally change service delivery.

Digital Government

Can a joint DOD-VA oversight body catch up with health record deployment?

Lawmakers want to put teeth in a governance body to corral DOD and VA health record deployment, but facts on the ground may be getting ahead of planned governance.

Modernization

GSA looks to refine software-defined networking in EIS

The General Services Administration is considering how to make software-defined network offerings more cohesive under its $50 billion telecommunications contract.

Digital Government

How VA is disrupting tech delivery

A former Digital Service specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs explains efforts to transition government from a legacy "project" approach to a more user-centered "product" method.

Modernization

Air Force Bids $95M Cloud Contract To Support Unified Cybersecurity Platform

The service plans to pick 15 vendors to support the LevelUP program with cloud-based DevOps platforms.

Acquisition

Agile software and flying cars top Air Force acquisition priorities

Will Roper, the Air Force's acquisition head is pushing for a new flying car project and massively scaled agile software development processes across the service.

Digital Government

DOD pushes back on open source

The Government Accountability Office wants the Department of Defense to implement governmentwide open source software requirements, but the Pentagon's top tech official has other plans.

Ideas

Achieving DevSecOps Success Depends More on Trust than Tooling

Let’s explore what’s behind the cultural clash between the development, security and operations teams.

Ideas

Agencies Should Embrace Low-Code for Its Speed and Power

Drag-and-drop coding platforms can help agencies that are short on technical staff. 

Cybersecurity

DHS, OMB prep bug bounty rollout

The agencies are seeking public comment on how to structure information collection activities related to its new vulnerability disclosure program.

Cybersecurity

IRS spent $1.2 million on unused data security software, auditors say

In 2010, IRS began implementing a large data loss prevention solution to protect taxpayer data. Nearly a decade later, only one-third of the system is operational.

Digital Government

The semantics of disinformation

DARPA thinks it can detect automated disinformation campaigns across a range of media by focusing on common machine-generated errors.

Modernization

Software bug caused CBP airport system outage

A computer system outage that led to long passenger lines at international airports across the country on Aug. 19 was caused by a software bug, according to Customs and Border Protection.

Digital Government

Windows 7 woes crash into 2020 election cycle

Financial, technical and bureaucratic hurdles are making it more difficult for states to patch their election-related software and move on from an expiring Windows operating system.

Ideas

Accelerating Cloud Computing in Government Requires New Management Approach

CIOs must swap magic for real insights on what and how cloud technologies benefit to their agency.

Cybersecurity

Report: Code Responsible for Equifax Breach Downloaded 21 Million Times Last Year

The situation highlights the challenge of securing open source software, which underlies virtually every IT system in government.

Acquisition

Defense bill calls for DOD to fast-track certain software buys

A provision in the defense bill moving through the House of Representatives calls for the Pentagon to authorize a new fast track for software acquisition, with an eye to upgrading vulnerable weapons systems.

Modernization

$733 billion defense bill passes committee

The House Armed Services Committee debated into the early morning, pushing the 21 hour mark before passing its version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.