In Depth interviews – May 25

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

This is the In Depth show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

Today’s guests:

Owen BarwellManaging Director, Grant Thornton

The Office of Management and Budget’s drilling a new hole in your agency’s budget belt and squeezing it a notch tighter. OMB’s plan for 2014 requires a 5 percent cut for all agencies and evidence-based budgeting for requests on spending and grant awards.

Owen Barwell, the managing director of Grant Thornton and the former chief financial officer of the Energy Department, joins In Depth to discuss whether the 5-percent cuts are draconian or manageable as well as what agencies will have the hardest time adjusting to the changes.


Molly O’NeillVice President at CGI Federal

Congress has some ideas to help IT acquisition at your agency. But the pieces for success may already be in place.

Molly O’Neill, vice president at CGI Federal and former chief information officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, testified before a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday, which examined efforts to reform federal IT spending.

O’Neill’s testimony focused on the benefits of cloud computing and tech innovation beyond cloud, such as mobility, big data and IT procurement reform.


Jason WilsonReporter, Bloomberg Government

The Defense Department spent about $10 billion on cybersecurity over the past five years. But compared to other IT areas, cyber budgets are staying flat and might actually be a lot less than what you’d expect.

Jason Wilson, a reporter for Bloomberg Government, examined federal defense spending on cybersecurity for a new Bloomberg study. He joins In Depth to discuss the overall trends he’s noticed.

Read the executive summary.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

Cybersecurity Contracts Total $1.8 Billion, Study Says (Subscription required)


Serge ReveauMarine Corps veteran

This Memorial Day, cyclists are riding more than 200 miles from D.C. to Virginia Beach.

The Ride 2 Recovery is a chance for wounded veterans to push themselves to their physical and mental limits.

Serge Reveau, a veteran of the Marine Corps and a member of the Ride 2 Recovery team, joins In Depth to discuss how he got involved with the group and how others can support the cause.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news,

The new digital strategy from Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel includes the establishment of the Digital Services Innovation Center.

Gwynne Kostin, formerly the director of mobile for the General Services Administration, has been named to lead the new center.

In her first interview since taking on the new role, Kostin discusses how the new center came about and her role there.

READ THE FULL STORY: Kostin: New innovation center product of digital evolution


Also on the show:

Senior Correspondent Mike Causey dropped by to discuss his pre-Memorial Day column as well as how the observance of Memorial Day has changed over the years. The picture Francis and Mike discuss is below.

Federal News Countdown: Digital strategy, IT reform progress
Trey Hodgkins, the senior vice president for national security and procurement policy, and “In Depth” host Francis Rose count down the top federal news stories of the week.

Agency CIOs coveted new Digital, Shared Services strategies
The Office of Management and Budget now has released two major strategies in the past month, giving agency chief information officers a host of new deadlines. But a funny thing happened on the way to developing the goals: the CIOs asked for them.

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