04.28.06
Posted in general, technology at 3:18 pm by ljones
Did you file your taxes online this year? IRS.GOV recorded 3,237 visits per second. I’m starting to think that filing your taxes the old paper way is going the way of snail mail. Well, is filing online safe? In an era where identity theft seems to be everywhere, can we trust the IRS to protect the information that we submit online?
According to the IRS, the site is safe and heavily guarded from hackers. Allan Paller of the SANS Research Institute said
“There are no credit card numbers….no [Department of Defense]secrets,”…….”Although it would be terribly embarrassing for that data to get out, it’s not terribly valuable unless somebody’s trying to embarrass people.”
Mr. Pallar’s comments conflict with a recent GAO report which strongly disagrees with the IRS and Mr. Pallar’s assertions that the site is safe. The site was recently critcized for it’s weak IT security controls.
Read the article “Tax Filers use IRS Web Site in Record Numbers” by Daniel Pulliam of GovExec.com
Source: GOVEXEC.com
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04.27.06
Posted in general, solutions, technology at 5:04 pm by ljones
“IT Security Checklist focuses on the consequences of Security Breaches” is an article written by William Jackson of GCN. This article examines the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit (USCCU) created by DHS to handle IT security. This short and brief article made me want to know more about the unit and its capabilities. The article includes a link to a draft of the IT security checklist developed by USCCU. The IT security checklist will focus on hardware, software, networks, automation, humans and suppliers.
Check out the article and checklist.
Source: GCN
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Posted in technology at 3:25 am by ljones
“The State of the Blogosphere” (4/17/06) by David Sifry of Technorati examines the phenomenal growth of blogs on the web.Technorati has tracked and researched the developments of blogs over the past several months. Some of their findings are listed below:
Technorati now tracks over 35.3 Million blogs
The blogosphere is doubling in size every 6 months
It is now over 60 times bigger than it was 3 years ago
On average, a new weblog is created every second of every day
19.4 million bloggers (55%) are still posting 3 months after their blogs are created
Technorati tracks about 1.2 Million new blog posts each day, about 50,000 per hour
Source:Technorati
Check out Technorati and post your comments.
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04.26.06
Posted in Uncategorized, general, technology at 5:13 pm by ljones
“DHS courts new border security” is an informative article written by Alice Lipowicz for Newsweek Tech Media. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has given IT vendors wide latitude in designing systems to provide security to US borders. SBInet, the technology program which will support the agency’s Secure Border initiative is estimated to cost $2 billion over the next several years. How much will this program actually cost? Will the program actually work? Has the technology of SBInet been proven? These are just a few of the questions that come to my mind when thinking about SBInet. Yes, we need to ensure the safety of our borders but don’t we need to know more about a program before we fund it.
Source:GCN
http://www.gcn.com
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:06 pm by ljones
The head of the CIA’s venture capital unit which invests in cutting edge technology has resigned after four months on the job. According to the Associated Pres, Amit Yoran of Q-Tel resigned earlier this week. In-Q-Tel makes about a dozen or so investments annually with roughly $60 million it receives from the Intelligence Community.
Source: Fox News
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04.25.06
Posted in Uncategorized, solutions, technology at 2:30 pm by ljones
Michael Arnone of FCW has written a stimulating article titled “Fed looks to ants, wikis and blogs.” Can studying ant colonies be beneficial to our nation’s security? According to a government official cited in this story, ant colonies are an example of complex theory and adaptive group behavior in practice. According to the article, if employees involved in intelligence community activities acted more like ants in the sharing of infomation and acting upon intelligence in real-time, the U.S. would be afforded strategic and tactical advantages over our adversaries. The article further examines the trend of web blogs and wikis which the author cites offer real-time analysis to the intel community. Such means of information sharing promote open dialogue and can spark new ideas. According to this article, wikis and blogs are positive venues for employees in the intelligence community to share information and views.
Read the article and tell us what you think!
Source:FCW.com
One thing is for sure, I will never look at the ants invading my next Fourth of July picnic the same way again.
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Posted in Uncategorized, technology at 4:24 am by ljones
Alice Lipowicz of Washington Technology wrote an interesting article titled “Buy American” push alarms IT contractors.” According to this article, Congress is considering “buy american” provisions for federal procurement contracts. Many IT contractors are concerned by this recent development. The legislation introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter of California would require a comapny’s CEO, Chairman, and majority board members to hold U.S. citizenship. Many IT contractors are concerned because several are joint ventures between the U.S. and another country. The author points to the recent failed Dubai port deal as the reason for such legislation.
Read the article and post your comments.
Source: Washington Technology
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Posted in Uncategorized, military, solutions, technology at 3:33 am by ljones
John Moore of FCW.com has written a brief article entitled, “Saab Launches Services Unit .”
If you are like me, you assumed that Saab was just an automaker. Well, guess what? Saab is also venturing into the world of defense contracting. Saab will be offering military support and IT services to the Department of Defense. According to Saab’s television commercials, the company was started by aerospace engineers. It is no wonder that the company’s motto is “Born From Jets.” Saab’s subsidary, Saab Services USA will be competing for the Army’s Warfighter Field Operations contract to be awarded early next year.
Read the article and post your comments.
Source: FCW
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04.24.06
Posted in military, technology at 3:23 pm by ljones
“Beyond the Dog Tag” is an interview with Michael Pflueger, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The interview was conducted by Gary Landsman for the Defense Systems online newsletter. This article examines Mr. Pflueger’s efforts to consolidate DIA IT services for the department’s unified command. In addition, the CIO is responsible for centralizing IT systems for intelligence collection services. The indepth invertiew includes an overview of the DIA’s IT capabilities. The article also examines Mr. Pflueger’s opinion of how the process has been implemented so far. The optimistic CIO points out that the consolidation efforts have gone pretty well and that it is an exciting time for the agency.
Read the article, Let us know what you think!
What questions would you ask Mr. Pflueger?
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Posted in Uncategorized at 5:01 am by ljones
“Agriculture Department makes progress on IT Consolidation” (04/21/06)is an article written by Daniel Pulliam for GovExec.com. The article focuses on the Agriculture Department’s IT initiative of outsourcing to reduce costs. According to the article, a program must be implemented across several agencies amongst the Department of Agriculture. The initiative cites the author, is part of OMB’s (Office of Management and Budget) efforts to consolidate and centralize federal IT systems. The article also includes an interview with an IT government official who explains the difficulties of implementing such a broad program.
Please check out the article and related link to the OMB’s IT plan.
What do you think of the plan?
Source:Gov Exec
http://www.govexec.com
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