Latest Federal Government News

The Washington Post: It’s Groundhog Day in Congress, where lawmakers appear to have glimpsed their shadows and are entering a newly intense period of negotiations over whether to extend the payroll tax cut that is shaping up to be remarkably similar to a bruising December fight over the same issue.

Government organizations are working hard to do more with less, consolidating data centers and striving to deliver more services online to help lower operating costs and comply with federal regulatory mandates such as the Office of Management and Budget’s 25-Point Plan to Reform Federal IT.A...

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 2:00pm

With government institutions increasingly in the cybersecurity crosshairs, the need for greater protection against known, unknown and emerging threats has soared, along with requirements to leverage strategies that can mitigate risks and prevent successful intrusions.

CIO: The FBI Tuesday reaffirmed its rule that all cloud products sold to to U.S. law enforcement agencies must comply with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) security requirements.

While the nation's top law enforcement agency concedes that some vendors may have a tough time meeting those requirements, it insisted that there would be no compromising on security.

A heightened focus on performance management and IT modernization are driving streamlining for everything from data centers, to email, to billing and constituent-facing services.

This i360Gov Special Report highlights key state and local government IT consolidation efforts currently under way, and lays out the key steps public sector audiences must take to reduce risks, improve transparency and automate where possible to reduce IT management burdens.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 2:00pm

On November 28th,  President Barack Obama issued a memorandum directing government agencies to move to a digital-based records keeping system.   Attend this i360Gov educational webinar and learn from leading experts how to modernize your records management and ensure compliance.

CNN: A federal appeals court ruled against California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, arguing the ban unconstitutionally singles out gays and lesbians for discrimination.

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state's Proposition 8 "works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians" by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment.

For the federal government to achieve a stronger cyber security posture, agencies must focus on automation, interoperability and authentication, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 2:00pm

Most agencies admit they lack visibility and it takes much too long to get the data it needs to make better decisions.  Why is this?

CNN: As though there were not enough tumult in Egypt. A year after revolution felled a longtime dictator, a new crisis has soured its strongest Western ally and threatened to sever military aid.

Egyptian authorities had been investigating civil society organizations for a while but they stunned U.S. officials by announcing this week that 43 foreigners, including 19 Americans, working for civil society organizations would face prosecution.

The marching orders have been delivered. By 2015, federal IT organizations have been told they must consolidate datacenters by 40%, for an overall reduction of 800 datacenters. Trouble is, how do agencies get there from here?

San Francisco Chronicle: Hammered by Republicans and the Catholic Church, the White House hinted at compromise Tuesday as it struggled to calm an election-year uproar caused by its rule requiring religious schools and hospitals to provide employees with access to free birth control.

Reuters: A plan to fast-track the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline was passed by a key committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Republicans made yet another attempt to spur approval of the project that has become a major issue in the 2012 elections.

Education News: Remedial courses help four out of ten college freshman in Ohio, but now the Board of Regents want to cut the amount of classes that teach what students should have learned in high school, in an attempt to save universities and students money.