Technology

• Federal cybersecurity spending expected to rise

  Demand for vendor-furnished information security products and services by the U.S. federal government will increase from $8.6 billion in 2010 to $13.3 billion in 2015 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1%. INPUT\'s John Slye explains why.

  Federal Drive

  December 06, 2010
• Army researches warfighters as a network

  Computer networks and social networks depend on interaction between individuals -- whether it\'s individual machines or human beings. The science of these complex interactions shares some common underlying themes, and a team of Army researchers hopes that examining these networks will provide feasible solutions.

  Federal Drive

  December 06, 2010
• Army-University alliance speeds research to market

  Several of the most promising technological research projects at University System of Maryland-related labs are getting a strategic infusion of federal cash to help them through the most difficult phase of development, and toward the commercial market. Maryland\'s Jacques Gansler explains.

  Federal Drive

  December 06, 2010
• IBM tool stops cyberweakness before it’s written

  IBM has a new tool to spot security vulnerabilities even while they\'re being written.

  Federal Drive

  December 06, 2010
• GSA’s move to the cloud to be closely watched

  The agency will implement e-mail in the cloud using Google Apps for Government under an almost $7 million deal with Unisys. Many agencies are paying attention to how GSA implements this technology. GSA\'s CIO or Unisys could not confirm whether the datacenter is located in the U.S.

  Technology

  December 06, 2010
• Army moving quickly to get smart phones to warfighters

  MACE program taking commercial technology and modifying it to make it more secure and rugged. The Army is asking for vendor ideas on how to do this and what apps are possible in theater.

  Defense

  December 06, 2010
• Not everyone’s a fan of telework

  The incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee doesn\'t find much good in the new telework act.

  Budget

  December 03, 2010
• Smart phones coming to warfighters

  The Army is developing technology for soldiers to use smart phones on the battlefield.

  Defense

  December 03, 2010
• Missing laptops equal $2B lost each year

  A study by Poneman Institute estimates that $2 billion are lost each in lost laptops.

  Technology

  December 03, 2010
• USB drives pose cyber threats

  Info Security reports that lost USB drives containing sensitive data are threatening cybersecurity.

  Technology

  December 03, 2010
• Will Facebook kill email?

  Many people have speculated that Facebook\'s new communications platform might mean bad things for email. Dave Worsell, director of government solutions at GovDelivery in the UK, says that\'s not the case.

  Technology

  December 03, 2010
• NDU’s campus has no borders thanks to telepresence

  The National Defense University has two primary campuses: North Campus in Washington, DC and the South Campus located in Norfolk, Va. But their students are all around the world, and thanks to the NDU iCollege, they don\'t miss out on anything, from guest speakers to special lectures. From U.S. DoD Combatant Commands (COCOMS) stationed around the world, and students from Hawaii to Sweden, the NDU iCollege\'s video teleconferencing capabilities allow NDU to share their resources and courses more broadly. Installed in July 2009, the NDU iCollege maintains a telepresence room equipped with a speaker lectern with interactive capabilities and 18 separate workstations with video teleconferencing screens. \"When we decided to purchase the system, it took several months to get approval and to work through security issues,\" Jolly Sienda, Outreach Professional at the NDU iCollege said. \"Now, we can see the benefits of video teleconferencing usage with our students and stakeholders.\" In the past year and a half, NDU iCollege has continued to incorporate their telepresence capabilities into various areas of the university, and seen the benefit not only to their mission, but also to their bottom line. \"For example, the capability of having a guest speaker from Washington, D.C., talk to students in Sweden without travel costs is a tremendous cost savings,\" Sienda said in an e-mail to Federal News Radio. \"We\'ve done this twice this year and we are planning other video teleconferences next year.\" It also allows the college to provide expert faculty speakers in off-site courses, Sienda said, without having to send faculty off campus. In early 2010, the college conducted meetings with academic partners in Singapore to plan a cybersecurity conference. Even basic coordination and planning between the university\'s two campuses is made easier. The NDU iCollege uses a Polycom RPX HD system, Sienda says, which further diminishes the sense of distance. \"When we are able to connect two teleconference systems, the result is very high quality, almost like you are together in person,\" Sienda said. The iCollege continues to find new uses for its telepresence room, most recently adding students in Hawaii. \"Our use of telepresence continues to grow as the adoption of the technology grows throughout the Federal government and particularly within the Department of Defense,\" Sienda said. \"This is a powerful tool for information sharing and networking with the college\'s students and stakeholders.\"

  Defense

  December 03, 2010
• DISA incorporates desktop-telepresence across DoD

  How can a Defense Department analyst hold a last-minute meeting with three other analysts in three different locations around the world? Well, if they\'re one of the over 380,000 Defense employees using Defense Connect Online, it\'s as simple as turning on a video camera and starting a session. Defense Connect Online (DCO) is the Defense Information Systems Agency\'s second video teleconferencing system by which users web conference using video cameras at their desk or laptop. DCO is available DoD-wide. The technology is being applied by senior-level leaders, agency employees, and service members alike, according to Colonel Brian Hermann, chief of the Net-Centric Enterprise Services branch. Managed in conjunction by Carahsoft Technology Corp. and Adobe Systems Incorp., DCO consists of a multiuser text chat and instant messaging, as well as web conferencing using Adobe Connect. DISA first awarded the contract in 1997. Aside from allowing program leaders and employees in different locations to hold discussions from their desks, DCO has also been incorporated into DISA\'s telework strategy. \"DCO has enabled our telework program to thrive, allowing DISA employees to fully participate in meetings, no matter where they are located,\" Hermann said. It allows off-site employees to \"participate fully in small-group meetings, including the use of whiteboarding and sharing presentations.\" Last year, DISA extended the service to non-DoD agencies and federal partners who work with the DoD. \"The greatest challenge online is balancing security with sharing,\" Hermann said. \"We solve that by allowing other federal government members to have accounts on our DCO services.\" With the expansion, federal employees with .gov email addresses can also create DCO accounts to further collaborate with DoD mission partners. The system has been widely incorporated across the DoD, and is adding approximately 4,500 new users each week, Hermann said. \"DCO is also currently being used by DoD service members to hold impromptu meetings for situational awareness,\" Hermann said. \"We have moved from simply cost benefits to command and control and operational capabilities.\"

  Defense

  December 03, 2010
• Defense launches casual gaming site

  The rationale behind the site was to serve as a place where professionals in the Acquisition workforce could go to play games that were related to the \"core competencies\" that are central to Acquisition.

  Federal Drive

  December 03, 2010