Latest Federal Government News

The Washington Post: Wednesday was a day of bipartisan harmony — at least in two congressional panels.

In the Senate, a committee passed legislation allowing same-sex spouses of federal workers to receive employment benefits. In the House, subcommittee members on a panel often riven with partisanship took testimony on the Hatch Act and everyone agreed it needs fixing.

A desire to increase productivity, improve contact within agencies, along with enhancing the flexibility of working conditions, were cited by government executives as the three most compelling reasons to implement greater use of mobile devices, according to the results of a newly published i360Gov survey.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 2:00pm

Government organizations are facing increasing pressure to improve customer service and operational efficiency.   Many have embarked on service improvement programs ranging from 311 call centers to CRM projects in an effort to be more responsive in the past few years.  However, these initiatives may be...

The Washington Post: The White House’s cybersecurity coordinator said Thursday that he is stepping down at the end of this month after a 2 1 / 2-year tenure in which the administration has increased its focus on cyber issues but struggled to reach agreement with lawmakers on the best way to protect the nation’s key computer networks from attack.

Howard Schmidt, who oversaw the creation of the White House’s first legislative proposal on cybersecurity, said he is retiring to spend more time with his family and to pursue teaching in the cyber field.

Federal, state and local government organizations are in the midst of consolidating data centers, servers and end-user computing to streamline IT infrastructure, while working to identify and secure cloud-based workloads to comply with multiple White House-led efficiency mandates.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 2:00pm

As government agencies work to comply with emerging federal and state/local government mobility mandates designed to simplify and centralize the management of mobile devices, they are faced with many questions, challenges and pitfalls to avoid.Attend this live i360Gov educational webinar for insider tips and advice...

Stateline: Oklahoma and Tennessee are the latest states about to require drug tests of those applying for welfare benefits. While such proposals are popular in statehouses this year, their legality is still unclear.

“Hard working taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to subsidize drug abuse, and this bill will help to ensure they are not,” Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement Wednesday (May 16) when she signed the measure into law.

Despite the widespread use of advanced cybersecurity tools and techniques, a persistent threat of malware intrusions continues unabated. Government networks remain the primary target of hackers around the globe. In i360Gov.com's latest report, "Mitigating Malware Risks," you will gain valuable advice and insights from officials...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:00pm

Under near-constant pressure to adapt to change and do more with less, government agencies are seeking new ways to adapt and transform legacy IT operations. Many are finding that they must work hard to mitigate risks associated with change in user migration efforts, utilizing key...

Defense News: U.S. Army reset and modernization programs face several budgetary risks over the next several months, Army chief Gen. Raymond Odierno said May 16.

The biggest threat is sequestration, which would trigger almost $600 billion in defense spending cuts on top of the $500 billion already planned for, beginning in January 2013. Such reductions would be “disastrous” for the Army, Odierno said.

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...

Healthcare IT News: WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services  has made available an online tool that makes it easy for the public to monitor and measure how the nation’s healthcare system is performing.

The Health System Measurement Project enables policymakers, providers and the public to develop consistent data-driven charts and views of changes in important health system indicators.

Phoenix Business Journal: U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu believes in a diversified energy portfolio, and on Tuesday he was in Arizona to speak on at least one aspect of how to get it: financing.

Money is the wheel that drives most energy production, and that's true for renewables. Chu was in town on Tuesday, his first visit to Arizona, to expound on the virtues of a Phoenix partnership with National Bank of Arizona    , Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service Co. to provide financing for solar systems.

eSchool News: As educators brace for new reforms, what will these changes look like? How will assessments and curriculum differ from previous versions? How can all students get the best education possible? The answer, some experts believe, lies partially in Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—a framework that’s quickly gaining momentum across the U.S.