The winds were strong across the Atlantic this morning. The plane I was due to meet at Heathrow was due at 7.50 but expected about 40 minutes sooner. So an earlier start than planned got me to Terminal 5 at 7.45, which with a bit of luck would be about right to meet somebody workingRead… Read more »
This article was originally written for the SLCC‘s ‘Clerk’ magazine. It’s almost impossible to turn on the television or open a newspaper these days without seeing reference to online networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The impact of these technologies in the last decade has been huge, transforming the way people communicate, work andRead… Read more »
Lawmakers need to draft a stronger information technology procurement reform legislation that gives agency chief information officers greater control of the infrastructure and business systems, former DHS CIO Richard Spires writes in a column for FCW. He noted that the Obama administration’s HealthCare.gov website woes have thrust the business of buying and managing IT toRead… Read more »
My article posted here was published in the Fall 2013 edition of FedTech Magazine. IT projects have had, at best, a spotted history in terms of success. At the same time, projects dealing with the construction of real property seem much less prone to failure. Are there lessons to be learned here? What is missingRead… Read more »
Earlier this week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding “Leveraging Best Practices to Help Ensure Successful Major Acquisitions.” The testimony can be found here. The focus of the testimony was a presentation of nine common “critical success factors” that GAO identified in examining seven successful federalRead… Read more »
Businesses are always evolving, and through their evolution and expansion technology becomes obsolete and organizations find themselves needing an upgrade. As a customer base grows the need for technology grows greater. Most organizations spend thousands of dollars attaining and upgrading to the most current technology, but still have many problems implementing their new technology toRead… Read more »
By Lyttleton Shurland, CPIC Analyst The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has required Federal agencies to adopt a “Cloud First” approach to evaluating options for new IT deployments. This was born out of the 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management by Vivek Kundra, who was the US Chief Information OfficerRead… Read more »
A Government Accountability Office report says federal agencies have largely not developed comprehensive plans to consolidate information technology systems under the PortfolioStat initiative, Nextgov reported Wednesday. Joseph Marks writes GAO identified 200 IT reform opportunities that could save agencies up to $5.8 billion through 2015. GAO’s savings projection is more than double the $2.5 billionRead… Read more »
Both technology manufacturers and resellers will compete under a potential 10-year, $20 billion government-wide information technology contract vehicle run by a National Institutes of Health office, the Washington Post reported Sunday. Marjorie Censer writes that NIH’s Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center intends to award 50 contracts under the Chief Information Officer-Commodities and Solutions programRead… Read more »
The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reports the number of “open” jobs — positions that employers advertise but have not found “qualified” applicants for — has doubled from 1,900,000 jobs in June 2009 to 3,900,000 vacant positions in June 2013. Most of those positions fall in the IT category. “Government and Industry need to workRead… Read more »