Posts Tagged: government

Government Thy Name Means Service

From dispatching an ambulance to save a life, to making sure someone who has lost a job gains access to the benefits of which they are entitled, to executing all manner of inspectional services, licensing, care for our seniors, concern to level the playing field for people with disabilities and a myriad of other tasksRead… Read more »

Amazon’s Government-Centric Cloud Explosion

Lately, Amazon has been catering to the high number of government customers that depend on the site. A respectable 1,800 government employees are regular Amazon visitors, and the site is committed to providing a stellar experience for civil servants. The majority of these visitors (1,500) are educational employees who are quickly adopting cloud computing. ThusRead… Read more »

What Does It Take to Lead a State Agency?

By Associate Consultant Tess Mullen, MPA ‘13 This week, Fels Research & Consulting is releasing its latest Promising Practices report: “What It Takes to Lead State Agencies: Promising Practices for State Cabinet Secretaries.” Based on in-depth interviews with more than 24 current and former cabinet secretaries nationwide, this new report explores seven core competencies thatRead… Read more »

#OpenGovernment: How Open is too Open?

In the wake of the Open Government Directive issued by President Obama in December of 2009, agencies have been working to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration. However, do we want our National Security Agency (NSA) being transparent about all of their defense tactics and cyber plans? Does sharingRead… Read more »

Non-Emergency 311 Centers Can Save Lives

When disasters strike towns and cities, 911 centers quickly become inundated with calls beyond those that are truly life-threatening situations. The result is that emergency response is delayed which can sometimes lead to deadly consequences. A case in point is a story in the New York Post about how New York City’s 911 center wasRead… Read more »

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff on Local Governments

By Sam Williford, Associate Consultant As Congress works to find a solution to the ‘fiscal cliff’ by the end of the year, the federal budget is hardly the only player involved. Without a compromise, state and local governments, which are required to keep balanced budgets, would feel the effects from less federal support. This couldRead… Read more »

Future Federal Government

The dialogue is starting on the Future Federal Government. It is not just a conversation among us in the beltway, but for the whole world to see. Please join us at IX (link below) or make your comments here in GL. The six topics that I believe will reshape us are: Budget Reduction Performance AccountabilityRead… Read more »

Federal Salary: It’s About Principles, Not Pay

In case you missed it, the latest study from the official Federal Salary Council (FSC) asserts that white-collar federal employees (“feds”) are paid a whopping 35% less than their private sector equivalents. Are federal executives really being short changed by more than one-third of their salary versus private sector peers? Feds don’t work in governmentRead… Read more »

Federal Government Reform Resources: Memos to National Leaders

President Obama said in his first post-election press conference that he was going to ask Governor Romney’s advice on government reform. There has been a lot of advice developed in recent months! Here are some potential resources for them to draw upon. If President Obama meets with Governor Romney to discuss ways to reform theRead… Read more »

Belkin Smart Card Reader Achieves FIPS 201 Certification

Federal Security Standard Assures Iron-clad Security and Reliability for Government Organizations Belkin Enterprise, a trusted leader of customer-driven computing solutions for office, IT infrastructure and mobile environments, today announced that its USB Smart Card and Common Access Card (CAC) Reader is now FIPS 201 (Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201) compliant and is listed onRead… Read more »