This week, the Pentagon detailed its plans to furlough 800,000 employees unless Congress stops the sweeping budget cuts slated for March 1. Customs and Border Protection is planning to give its agents and officers 14 days off without pay. And, EPA is planning mandatory agencywide furloughs. If you find your paycheck cut, what should you do? Registered Employee Benefit Consultant Ed Zurndorfer gave Federal News Radio some for tips on navigating sequestration.

Government agencies could improve their operations and outcomes significantly by analyzing the large amounts of data they already have, according to the TechAmerica Foundation. It asked 100 federal tech officials, as well as 100 state and local officials, what they think are the big opportunities in big data. Federal News Radio spoke with Steve Lucas, executive vice president of SAP’s public sector group, and the co-chair of the study.

Cybersecurity is one area across government where spending is likely to continue to rise despite tightening budgets. AFCEA DC’s 4th Annual Cybersecurity Symposium is examining the government’s cyber preparedness. Federal News Radio broadcast live from the event. We spoke with Brian Roach, president of AFCEA DC and vice president of federal at Juniper Networks, about the goals of the event.

AFCEA DC’s 4th Annual Cybersecurity Symposium took place in Washington, D.C. today. Retired Lt. Gen. John Dubia, executive vice president of AFCEA International, attended both keynote addresses at the event. The first was with Air Force Major General Brett Williams, the director of operations, J-3 of United States Cyber Command. The second was with Eric Rosenbach, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy. Federal News Radio asked him if there were any common themes between the two speeches.

Shrinking ice caps may be bad for polar bears, but they present a business opportunity for some people. The thawing Arctic Circle is attracting shippers and eco-tourists. To the military, more traffic means more potential security problems. Brig. Gen. Al Meinzinger told Federal News Radio what U.S. Northern Command, the North American Defense Command and Canada’s Joint Operations Command have been doing to secure the area.