Don't close the book on encryption technology
Most technology and policy books are, to put it kindly, indigestible. But occasionally a book will come along that's both readable and erudite. Whitfield Diffie, Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Distinguished Engineer and the inventor of public-key encryption, and Susan Landau, a research associate professor in the computer science department at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, have written just such a volume. It's Privacy On The Line: The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption, published by MIT Press.
Latest version of NT blends the best of two OSes
Is Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 still the champ? Workstation 4.0 arrived as the most streamlined and reliable graphical operating system that Microsoft Corp. had ever turned out. After the GCN Lab's second examination of a beta version of NT Workstation 5.0, I've concluded that NT 4.0 may still be the most streamlined, though 5.0 does have greater stability.
Microsoft pushes latest version of SQL as capable of ousting Oracle in govt. market
Microsoft Corp.'s SQL Server 7.0, set for a Nov. 16 launch, will "hammer away at database support and administration costs" with the goal of replacing Oracle Corp. database software in the government market, said Chris Guziak, an account executive for Microsoft federal systems in Washington. The Oracle8i universal file system and database management system is due out next month. Just as Oracle throws more operating system functions into its DBMS, Microsoft plans to fight back with
USDA's Anne Thomson Reed focuses on human resources in accepting award
For Anne Thomson Reed, managing people in an increasingly technological age is a tougher challenge than the technology itself. "We need to start thinking about developing the next generation of information technology employees," said the Agriculture Department chief information officer. And the techno-savvy people increasingly in demand need to be seen not as nerds, but as the change agents they are, she told some 1,000 government IT and vendor officials who gathered last
Build yourself an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN
Figuring out what hardware components and their functions comprise an Ethernet and Fast Ethernet network is easy. A white paper from Lantronix Corp. of Irvine, Calif., details the gear you need to build an Ethernet LAN: Their built-in intelligence lets the networks be split into separate collision domains, allowing for coverage of greater distances and more efficient use of network repeaters.
Agencies find ways for citizens to dial in to Web sites by phone
If a government Web site could talk to you over the phone, what would it say? With an unusual combination of telephone and Internet technologies, it's possible to surf the Web by telephone. No, not by modem—by phone touchpad or by voice recognition in some cases. It sounds like a primitive way to tackle something complicated—playing Mozart on a child's xylophone, perhaps. But a few government sites have found that there are indeed folks who want to
Fast NICs
Build yourself an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN Most network managers are familiar with the early warning signs of network glut: Graphics applications bring LANs to a crawl. Ad hoc database searches take eons to complete. Print jobs stay queued up for hours. Data output from server farms is sluggish and congested.
DNS snafu delays user access to space Web site
Sen. John Glenn's participation in the recent shuttle flight prompted NASA to upgrade its Web service. A NASA error in listing the Domain Name System for a Web site hosting information about the John Glenn space shuttle mission temporarily barred access to the site. "As we were trying to upload content, we noticed something was not working right," said Kelly Humphries, assistant for operations in the public affairs office at the Johnson Space Center
INS uses app to reduce fraud
Immigration and Naturalization Service investigators said they have cut down on fraud with a custom imaging application that can access 13.5 million sets of biometric data. The Biometric Image Management Program has made immigrants' fingerprint, photograph and signature images available over a WAN in standard file formats, said Fernanda Young, assistant commissioner of the Data Systems Division in INS' IRM Office.
Novell, Microsoft execs speak at show; no date given for Win2000
Novell chairman Eric Schmidt, left, and Microsoft president Steve Ballmer predict network improvements. ATLANTA—At the NetWorld+Interop trade show last month, Microsoft Corp. president Steve Ballmer announced a delivery date for the long-awaited Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 successor: "The day it's ready." That will probably be next year, Ballmer said, although "we still have a ways to go."
FAA taps Sony monitors for STARS project
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a $60 million contract to Sony Corp. of America for monitors for its Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System. FAA will buy 2,199 Sony DDM-2800C monitors from the Park Ridge, N.J., company under the three-year contract, FAA contracting officer Patricia Green said. The 20-inch, high-resolution monitors will replace the monochrome screens that air traffic controllers now use.
Labor promotes online benefits
The Labor Department recently awarded grants to several states to develop ways to file unemployment claims online. For the past three years, Labor has given up to $500,000 to states that submit the best proposals for electronic filing systems. Labor in September gave $500,000 each to Iowa and Wisconsin, $458,600 to North Carolina, $399,553 to Wyoming and $157,612 to New Hampshire.
Federal stars shine at the 11th annual GCN banquet
Bedecked in black ties and flowing gowns, more than 1,000 federal information technology executives and vendors toasted one another at GCN's 11th annual Awards Banquet late last month. The event started with a meet-and-greet reception. Between dinner and the infamous dessert bar, though, the main event took place—recognition of excellence in the deployment of government IT.
Service readies RFP for $1 billion logistics systems modernization
After months of delay, the Army soon will release a $1 billion request for proposals for the modernization of its antiquated logistics systems. At stake are the jobs of more than 500 civilian employees at the Army's Industrial Logistics Support Center in Chambersburg, Pa., and its Logistics Systems Support Center in St. Louis. The centers support the service's logistics systems.
10 government organizations win awards for state-of-the-art systems
At the GCN Awards Banquet, 10 federal agencies won information technology excellence awards for their work on cutting-edge programs. The awards recognize team rather than individual accomplishments. Honored were:
GSA's Wohlleben decides to go private
After more than 25 years as a public-sector employee, Paul Wohlleben last week called his federal career history. Wohlleben, most recently the chief information officer for the General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service, took a job as director of information technology consultants for the Washington office of Grant Thorton LLP of Chicago.
NASA steps out on seat
With two orders totalling almost $175 million, NASA last month became the first agency to use one of the government's two new multiple-award seat management buys. NASA late last month awarded a $154.9 million task order under its Outsourcing the Desktop Initiative for NASA program to OAO Corp. of Greenbelt, Md. Earlier in the month, it awarded a $19.6 million ODIN order to RMS Information Systems Inc. of Vienna, Va.
Warehouse field gets crowded
James H. Goodnight is president and co-founder of SAS Institute Inc., the largest privately held software company in the world. Since 1976, practically every federal agency has found uses for the Cary, N.C., company's decision-support and data warehouse software. Goodnight said the SAS System has evolved out of a small statistical program for data analysis and forecasting by virtue of 30 years of refining and moving the product forward.
Primeon offers pretest audits it says can reduce costs of year 2000 testing
ISI Professional Services lists Primeon Inc.'s year 2000 audit service on its General Services Administration Information Technology Schedule contract. ISI, a Washington 8(a) vendor, holds a blanket purchasing agreement with the Navy. Primeon of Burlington, Mass., charges 17 cents per line of code to convert software applications. The company also can report on the quality of year 2000 fixes for up to 1 million lines of source code in as little as 10 working days, said
GSA can compete with IT's 'big boys'
Shereen G. Remez has served in her post as the chief information officer at the General Services Administration for less than a year, but she has quickly become involved in the government information technology community. She is active in the CIO Council and is co-chairwoman of its Capital Planning and IT Investment Committee.
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