Industry leaders and former federal executives are laying out an agenda for the government to merge together cloud computing and cybersecurity initiatives better. Industry organization SafeGov details specific steps the federal CIO Council and the White House can take to move toward integration of these programs. Karen Evans is a co-author of the report and former Office of Management and Budget administrator for e-government and IT. She tells executive editor Jason Miller how to bring all the moving pieces together to end up with secure cloud services.

The latest version of one of the General Services Administration’s most popular contracts ever is getting ready for prime time. Miller has details this week Inside the Reporter’s Notebook.

The balance between cybersecurity and privacy is even more important for the government to strike in the wake of revelations about the National Security Agency. That balance starts with crafting the right definition of privacy. One of the leaders of the conversation is Leo Wong, deputy chief information security officer at the Agriculture Department. He’s also the co-chair of the ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Forum: Implications of Privacy to Cybersecurity.

Leaders in the federal government are looking for a few ways to motivate their teams in 2014. But a fully appropriated budget may not be the kick you need this year.

The chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee says the full Senate will soon take up a massive veterans benefits bill. Veterans groups say the omnibus bill is the most sweeping update to vet benefits in modern memory.