COOP

Disaster recovery goes virtual

Business continuity capabilities don’t have to be gold-plated to get the job done anymore.

  • By John Zyskowski

Why telework is in an agency's best interest

Teleworking is moving beyond just letting agency employees work from home; it's becoming a key element in continuity-of-operations planning, efforts to reduce pollution, and plans to save billions on unneeded real estate.

  • By William Jackson

Navy tests telework tool for reserves

A CAC-enabled mobile access device could provide secure remote connections from any computer to resources inside the Navy network for Reserve personnel not on active duty.

  • By William Jackson

Satellites come to the rescue when ground systems fail

Responders in disaster areas are relying on mobile satellite connections more frequently for IP data connections than for voice.

  • By William Jackson

Telework tool: A DOD innovation goes wide

As legislation requiring agencies to move more aggressively to allow telework comes closer to passage, managers worry about security. A tool the Air Force developed could ease their minds.

  • By William Jackson

Feds remember Hurricane Katrina

Five years ago, the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast and feds arrived soon after to help with cleanup. Now an employee union wants to hear those stories.

  • By Matthew Weigelt

Five years after Katrina, government IT still feels storm's fury

Five years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, the region continues to rebuild and the federal government is still trying to fix information technology-related problems that the storm and its aftermath exposed.

  • By Ben Bain

Bigger threat: National crises or unprepared managers?

More than 90 percent of federal employees believe it is important that they continue working during a national crisis, but a lack of continuity-of-operations coordination and telework eligibility may thwart their efforts.

  • By FCW Staff

Cloud computing is not always helpful in data recovery

Post-disaster data recovery is easier now, but it still can be difficult to get managers to buy in, says a former CISO for DOJ.

  • By Alice Lipowicz

U.S. first responder communications still a mess

If a major earthquake were to strike in the U.S., we would be in a real fix, says the chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

  • By Brian Robinson

Flu pandemic could overwhelm Internet capacity, GAO warns

A severe flu outbreak could overwhelm the Internet as millions of workers telecommuted

  • By William Jackson

GAO says more planning needed for DHS emergency communications

The Homeland Security Department should beef up plans for key officials to communicate when networks go down, GAO recommends.

  • By Ben Bain

War games spark better-informed decisions

War games are not just for children and generals. The authors of a new book demonstrate how the concepts can apply to vexing business problems.

  • By Judith Welles

COOP: What's the drill?

Does anyone know how the U.S. government's real-time exercise went last Wednesday?

  • By Anne Armstrong
Featured eBooks

IG: DHS data centers at risk

The Homeland Security Department didn't consider risks from hurricanes when it set up its new backup data center in Mississippi, according to a new report.

  • By Alice Lipowicz

OPM prods agencies to speed telework

The Obama administration lays out a plan to increase the number of federal employees that regularly telecommute.

  • By Ben Bain

Swine flu hearings set; OPM issues guidance

Senate and House panels have scheduled hearings on the disease outbreak, and the Office of Personnel Management has issued advice to federal employees.

  • By Alice Lipowicz

Lawmakers want more interoperability in emergency comms

House subcommittee leaders say more is needed to make emergency communications devices interoperable; they and other officials say FEMA should stay in DHS.

  • By Ben Bain

Officials back public/private partnerships

Government and industry officials today said ongoing partnerships between the public and private sectors are key to information sharing between them.

  • By Ben Bain

Circling the wagons

To make the most of dwindling budget funds, state and local governments are collaborating on homeland security projects.

  • By Alan Joch

Tips for tough times

Agencies have several options to stretch homeland security dollars.

  • By Alan Joch