Cybersecurity

Disaster drill derailed by disasters

Severe weather hampered the annual National Level Exercise this year by forcing some federal employees to cancel their participation in order to attend to real-life recovery efforts, according to a new audit.

Modernization

VA performing judo cuts on printing costs

The Veterans Affairs Department has its eye on cost-cutting in 2012, and desktop printers are a target, according to CIO Roger Baker.

People

USA.gov: What analytics can tell us about the American mind

Bev Godwin is on the front lines of federal executives who are applying new technologies to reach out to and engage with citizens.

Modernization

Agencies' websites ranked for readability, clear language

From clear language to nearly unreadable, agency websites span a wide range.

Cybersecurity

DHS changes approach to border technology

The Homeland Security Department is developing 'capability-based' purchasing framework.

People

Digital diplomacy: Facebook users build good will for Obama Indonesia visit

The U.S. embassy in Jakarta has applied digital diplomacy with a popular Facebook page attracting fans in Indonesia.

Cybersecurity

DHS still falling short in spending plan for border technology, GAO says

GAO scolds the Homeland Security Department for not fulfilling conditions set by COngress for border technology spending plan.

Digital Government

Do agencies dump bad news on Fridays?

Are "Bad News Fridays" just a myth? A new study investigated EPA news releases to find out.

Digital Government

OPM failed at modernizing, automating its retirement system, GAO says

GAO documented 20 years of OPM's failed efforts to modernize its retirement system.

Modernization

Acquisition rules slowing down cloud procurements, federal IT execs say

Federal agency executives are facing some rough spots in managing the transition to cloud services environments, a panel of federal IT experts said today.

Modernization

The secret effort to fix USAJobs

Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel reveals his behind-the-scenes role in trying to save the foundering job-search site.

Digital Government

House Republicans introduce WhipCast mobile app with a splash

House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy apparently took some tips from Hollywood in debuting the splashy new GOP WhipCast mobile application.

People

E-gov on the chopping block

The White House is appealing to Congress to restore funds for Data.gov, Challenge.gov, Federal IT Dashboard and other high-profile transparency initiatives.

People

VA staffer got $75K education courtesy of taxpayers

The Veterans Affairs Department inspector general issued the third in a series of scathing reports on high-level officials at the VA.

Modernization

A grassroots approach to online agency org charts

Web-based wiki platforms are being used to collect and display inside information on federal organizations.

Modernization

Interior unveils build-your-own-map public site

The Geospatial Platform enables people in the public to create and share customized maps based on federal geospatial data.

People

NASA takes giant leap onto Google Plus

Keeping with its reputation for innovation and adventure, NASA appears to be the first federal agency to create a Google+ Page.

Modernization

White House launches Web 2.0 tools for veterans job search

The White House announced new online job search tools for veterans this week, with help from Google, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Digital Government

NASA picks a new technologist

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named the agency's top advisor for technology.

People

Can the White House keep up with We the People?

Participation in the White House's We the People online petition initiative is so robust that the government seems to be finding it challenging to keep up the pace.