Digital Government
Rugged laptop comes with wireless modem
Amrel Systems Inc. and Novatel Wireless Inc. have teamed up to put wireless modems inside rugged laptop computers, which the companies say will give federal users the power to share data more easily when working in the field. The partnership, which materialized this year, has produced a Novatel mod
Digital Government
DOT mulls online fed travel service
Transportation Department officials last week asked industry for help in creating a World Wide Web site for federal travelers who want to book their trips online, saving the government money in the process. The site, which officials hope will be online by the end of the year, would build on commerc
Digital Government
Proposed bill would fund financial systems
Rep. Dan Burton (RInd.) last week introduced a bill that would fund improvements in agencies' financial management computer systems with the recovery of billions of dollars in overpayments made to government contractors. The proposed legislation, called the Government Waste Corrections Act, would
Digital Government
NTIS reconsiders fed search engine
In the wake of questions about whether it would improperly charge for government information, the Commerce Department last week decided to rethink the release of a new search engine that allows users to search through millions of federal documents online. Officials from the department and its Natio
Digital Government
GAO tepid on feds' Y2K progress
The General Accounting Office last week gave lukewarm praise to the departments of Education and Labor for fixing their Year 2000 computer problems. Both departments have made substantial improvements since last year, said Joel Willemssen, GAO's director for civilian agencies information systems, t
Digital Government
MapInfo tweaks product for better maps
MapInfo Corp. this month will unveil the latest version of its hallmark electronic mapping software, which company officials said will have more 'sizzle' and offer federal users better database connectivity. The company will begin shipping the new software, MapInfo Professional 5.5, early next mont
Digital Government
DOJ picks six for services
The Justice Department on Friday awarded contracts to six vendors under a $475 million umbrella contract for a variety of technology services to support major DOJ information technology programs and other projects governmentwide. The contract, DOJ's Information Technology Support Service 2000 (ITSS
Digital Government
Feds await final guidance for listing IT functions
The Office of Management and Budget is close to releasing its final guidance for complying with a law that requires agencies to list job functions that are not inherently governmental and opens a path to more outsourcing of government work. Deidre Lee, administrator of the Office of Federal Procure
Digital Government
Russians skip NATO IT excercise
STUTTGART, Germany In a show of protest against NATO's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, the Russian government last week pulled out of a major U.S.led NATO computer and communications exercise that is intended to help allies develop communications systems capable of sharing information on the bat
Digital Government
System to help VA track minority vets
The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a database system to track how well the agency serves minority and women veterans in an effort to ensure that these groups do not miss out on any VA benefits or programs. The agency has been working for nearly a year to build the initial data set for
Digital Government
NTIS puts fed search engine on hold
In the wake of questions over whether the government was charging improperly for government information, the Commerce Department today delayed the release of a new World Wide Web search engine that would enable users to search through millions of online federal documents.
Digital Government
DOD needs systems to balance finances
Defense Department officials told Congress last week that installing new computer systems is key to improving the department's balance sheet, which cannot account for as much as $10 billion. 'We have lousy systems,' DOD assistant inspector general Robert Lieberman told the House Government Manageme
Digital Government
Lugar looks to boost USDA CIO authority
Sen. Richard Lugar (RInd.) last week introduced a bill that would give the Agriculture Department's chief information officer more control over technology spending and more power to attack the Year 2000 computer problem. The bill, S. 949, represents a second push by Lugar, chairman of the Senate A
Digital Government
Langston foresees an IT-dependent DOD
A top technology official for the Defense Department last week described the agency as an organization that 10 years from now will operate as a virtual department, with computer systems that are '99 percent' reliable for filling users' needs. But some information technology experts question whether
Digital Government
FBI taps five for services
The FBI last week awarded contracts to five small businesses to provide an array of technology services ranging from managing localarea networks to creating mapping software for tracking crime. The contracts, under the FBI's Information Technology Support Program (ITSP), carry an estimated value o
Digital Government
DOD's 'lousy' computers create financial mess
Defense Department officials told Congress today that installing new computer systems is key to improving the department's balance sheet, which has been kept so sloppily that auditors cannot render an accounting opinion on its accuracy.
Digital Government
Education increases access for visually impaired
In an effort to become Year 2000compliant and to provide its visually impaired workers with easiertouse technology, the Education Department is rolling out Microsoft Corp.'s flagship email software to its 5,000 desktops agencywide. Microsoft Outlook and the companion server software, Exchange,
Digital Government
BLM buys possible ALMRS proxy
As the Bureau of Land Management tries to pick up the pieces from a failed project to create an allencompassing computer system, a Denver company is quietly offering BLM offices offtheshelf software that could give the agency the solution it had been seeking. Premier Data Services has sold to BL
Digital Government
DOJ briefs managers about Web-based 'malicious' code
Top Justice Department information managers last week briefed technical personnel within the department on plans to curb the use of World Wide Webbased software that the agency fears may harbor 'malicious' computer code. The software, known as 'mobile code,' includes Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java a
Digital Government
NASA centers fail to report cyberattacks
NASA's inspector general told a Senate subcommittee last week that parts of the agency are failing when it comes to fending off and reporting hacker attacks, leaving the agency vulnerable to people who would steal or alter sensitive data. Roberta Gross, IG for the agency, told the Senate Science, T
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