Author Archive
Digital Government
Internal checkbooks out of balance
Once again, OMB and CFO Council prod agencies to improve financial accuracy.
Cybersecurity
IRS employees fall for faux password scam
As part of a test sample, 60 percent of IRS employees were duped into giving their passwords to IG auditors posing as help-desk representatives.
Cybersecurity
HHS awards BearingPoint HSPD-12 pilot
The eight-week pilot, involving 1,500 employees, aims to validate a process for supplying secure identification or smart cards for the department's 112,000 employees and contractors.
Modernization
OPM details plans to revamp financial systems
To modernize its systems, OPM will need systems implementation, application hosting services and software through a single acquisition process that will result in one contract.
Cybersecurity
For VA, all security is local
IG’s latest findings illustrate difficulty of assessing risk from data breaches.
People
IRS executives move up and out
As part of a series of executive changes, CIO Richard Spires will become deputy commissioner for operations support, but he will remain significantly involved in the IRS modernization effort, the agency said.
Cybersecurity
Davis urges Waxman to advance data breach bill
A provision in the bill would require agencies to ensure that computing and storage devices containing potentially sensitive information is accounted for and secure.
Cybersecurity
GAO: VA must tighten lax inventory controls
By not enforcing policies, the department continues to put IT equipment and sensitive data at risk.
People
DHS starts down new financial path
Agency to consolidate financial operations by expanding use of two existing systems
People
Taxpayer advocate: IRS may shortcut taxpayer rights to reduce tax gap
The IRS Automated Collection System is a better investment than private debt collection initiatives now under consideration, according to a report by the National Taxpayer Advocate.
Digital Government
House panel votes to safeguard SSNs
The Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act would restrict the sale, purchase and public display of the Social Security numbers by government and businesses.
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People
Agriculture CFO to double as CIO
Charles Christopherson Jr., USDA's chief financial officer since November 2005, has led several joint initiatives between the two offices.
People
GAO: Senior-level turnover at DHS double that of other agencies
The report follows findings the House Homeland Security Committee released last week stating that 24 percent of the department's executive resource positions are unfilled.
Acquisition
OPM restarts its financial migration
Agency vows to avoid the mistakes it made in its initial attempt at financial outsourcing.
People
DHS' latest red flag: Job holes
Problems could become acute with the change of administration in 2008.
People
OMB controller to retire
Under Linda Combs, agencies reduced their improper payments by $8 billion, increased the number of clean audits and shortened the reporting time for their financial statements from five months to 45 days.
Cybersecurity
VA to expand encryption to in-house removable storage
The decision follows a data breach at the department's medical center in Birmingham, Ala., that put millions of people's personal information at risk.
People
IG: Cost data for Justice IT systems not reliable
Component agencies use several methods to track and report IT costs, and CIOs have varying degrees of control over IT budgets, a report states.
Cybersecurity
Few breaches lead to identity theft, GAO finds
But when it happens, GAO recommends agencies use a risk-based notification standard to identify the incidents in which the potential for harm exists and the appropriate actions to take.
Digital Government
OMB updates financial, performance reporting
A new document also issues guidelines for agencies to participate in a pilot test in which they could choose an alternative format to make the information clearer and more meaningful.
