Acquisition

New rules change procurement process

New procurement rules put limitations on cost-reimbursement, multiple-award and 8(a) contracts.

People

A new focus on performance management expected

Recent political and legislative developments could re-energize the discussion on performance management and focus government attention on the issue.

People

After the pay freeze: 5 ways to keep performance up

Employee performance experts offer five tips for making the government a better place to work and making it work better.

Digital Government

1 Social Media Champ (plus a dozen or so other contenders)

The White House tops the list of agencies that attract the most attention on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

People

Multi-taskers: How 5 busy CIOs get through their day

Five busy government tech leaders share their secrets for getting the most out of every workday.

Digital Government

Administration's wiretapping push could damage cloud security

If Internet service providers give the FBI backdoor access to online communications, the bad buys might benefit as well, notes blogger Brian Robinson.

People

6 IT lessons learned the hard way

Even the best government IT practitioners had to fail at some point to learn the lessons that propelled them to their eventual successes. Here are their stories.

Digital Government

DARPA aims for fiber-optic link between warfighters' minds, bodies

An award to Southern Methodist University will fund development of two-way, fiber-optic communication between prosthetic limbs and the wearer’s peripheral nerves, reports blogger Brian Robinson.

Digital Government

Military simulation training may lead recruits to view war as a game

Video games used to train recruits for war could also be masking the reality of the battlefield and creating a kind of detachment for those who become involved in the real thing.

Digital Government

Industry hopes fed computers go dark on Power IT Down Day

Given that the federal government accounts for around 1.5 percent of the total U.S. annual energy consumption, and is the largest single user, just a little savings could add up to a lot of green.

Digital Government

NSA stakes another claim to cybersecurity leadership

The recent appearance of an article about NSA in the Wall Street Journal could indicate that the spy agency is jockeying for position with DHS, writes blogger Brian Robinson.

Digital Government

Beware of that bug: It could be following you

The U.S. Army sees miniature unmanned aerial vehicles the size of insects as a big part of future battlefield operations and intelligence gathering.

Digital Government

'Encryption on a chip' raises hopes for better security

New technology could make it easier to encrypt data on smaller high-tech devices, writes blogger Brian Robinson.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity credential could make hiring even harder

An influential advisory body is expected to recommend that federal information technology security workers be formally certified for their cybersecurity skills.

Digital Government

Cloud computing and the disaster in waiting

Some industry watchers now warn that the IT industry's own Deepwater Horizon crisis is just around the corner, blogger Brian Robinson writes.

Digital Government

Military, intell agencies dismiss DARPA-led cyber range

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may be getting squeezed out of the competition to build a test range for potential cyber security solutions.

Digital Government

Security concerns persist about microchips used in smart devices

The military's use of smart phones and similar products could force the U.S. to confront the geopolitics of microchip manufacturing, blogger Brian Robinson writes.

Digital Government

Feds may require cybersecurity credential for workforce

Reports are emerging about recommendations that the Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency will make to the Obama administration that will require government and contractor employees involved in cybersecurity be formally certified.

Digital Government

Help wanted: Twitter looks to hire a 'government liaison'

The microblogging company looks to hire its first DC employee to be "the closest point of contact with a variety of important people and organizations looking to get the most out of Twitter."

Digital Government

Research and development game-changers for cybersecurity

The Obama administration is trying to take cybersecurity to the next level with an R&D program aimed at producing 'game-changing' technologies.