IRS CIO says systems reorganization is a must
Consolidating data processing will save money and manpower, the IRS' Paul Cosgrave says. The IRS must re-engineer its systems and plan new systems that are in sync with the agency's reorganization of its business units, IRS chief information officer Paul J. Cosgrave said. Cosgrave outlined his plans to reorganize the service's systems at an Association for Federal for IRM luncheon this month in Washington.
Tool chest for NT administrators
Raxco Software Inc.'s instaNT Pro tool set for Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 networks lets administrators control disk, emergency, registry and security services from any network location. They can monitor remote Windows clients, exchange files and run applications remotely. The Raxco suite provides registry management, security support and file-access authorization.
Food inspectors find it online
Agriculture Department food inspectors have a common reference point for indexing and retrieving information from a pile of electronic updates they receive each month. They all turn to Isys 4.0 information retrieval software running under Microsoft Windows 95 on the Food Safety and Inspection Service's 1,700 Gateway Inc. 266-MHz Solo 2500 notebook PCs and more than 800 Dell Computer Corp. OptiPlex desktop PCs with 350-MHz Pentium II CPUs.
BREAKING NEWS
The Customs Service has announced plans to reorganize its Office of Information Technology. The project is one of the first major overhauls of Customs systems operations and one of the first efforts of S.W. "Woody" Hall, Customs' chief information officer. Hall left his Energy Department CIO post to take the Customs job this spring.
2000 work's an inside job
Agencies trying to cope with date code repair mainly are using their own staffs to make the fixes, leaving vendor year 2000 factories mostly idle. "The tsunami wave of requirements has not come," said Barry Robella, a vice president for strategic programs for Platinum Technology Inc. of Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. Although year 2000 service vendors have touted their black-box factories as accurate and efficient, they cannot yet cite a single federal success story. Vendors said they do
AirID protects your data while you roam the office
Pros and cons: + Hands-free supplemental security + Scan range adjustable + Noninterfering frequency – Security exposure from lost badges Real-life requirements: Windows 9x or NT All the network security in the world does no good if logged-in users leave their computers on and unattended during breaks or at lunch. An office full of such computers is an open invitation to mischief.
In e-mail etiquette, the catchphrase should be: Keep it simple, stupid
On the subject of e-mail etiquette, last issue's column discussed the advisability of keeping messages brief and in plain ASCII text. It's getting to the point that agencies need to establish strict policies to keep government e-mail from getting out of hand, as it has in private-sector organizations.
As security step, DOD to limit Web postings
To reduce the chances of terrorists gaining access to information that could threaten national security, the Defense Department plans to set limits on what can be posted on DOD Web sites. Deputy Defense secretary John Hamre is expected soon to issue a memorandum to the services and Defense agencies that lays out strict guidelines on what kinds of information DOD offices can post.
ErgoSentry keeps watch on how people use their computers
Proformix Systems Inc., Branchburg, N.J.; tel. 800-973-2739 Price: $64.95 per user for 50 users, $19.95 for 5,000 up Pros and cons: + Full administrator control over ergonomic program + User obedience enforceable – Possible user resistance – Not on CD-ROM Real-life requirements: Windows 9x or Windows NT clients, network server for advanced administration features, portable computer for ergonomic workplace checker
The V.90 standard for 56-Kbps modems gets union's approval
The International Telecommunications Union this month gave final approval to the V.90 standard for 56-Kbps modems. The union began developing the standard early last year. It supersedes competing modem vendors' K56flex and x2 technologies. To date, more than 800 Internet service providers have installed V.90 connectivity on about 40,000 local dial-up numbers.
BRIEFING BOOK
Oceans apart. The U.S. Atlantic Command, one of nine unified Defense Department commands, needs a better inventory of its systems if it is going to have them 2000-ready, according to a DOD inspector general report released late last month. The report, U.S. Atlantic Command Year 2000 Issues , said USACOM uses 148 systems run by the services and DOD agencies. Of the 53 mission-critical systems, USACOM could not tell the IG the status of remediation work
USPS tests online service for stamp of approval
The Postal Service, as early as January, wants to accept documents online, print them, stuff them in envelopes and deliver them—all for the price of a stamp. USPS is running a small test of the service, called PostOffice Online, in Hartford, Conn., and Tampa, Fla. The test will be expanded to Boston, New York and Philadelphia next month, said Cathy Rogerson, USPS' group manager for new businesses. If all goes well, PostOffice Online will become available
Tool helps manage requirements when developing software
Anyone who knows how to use e-mail and Microsoft Word can define software requirements with a tool from Technology Builders Inc. of Atlanta, according to company president Nicholas Kavadellas. TBI's suite eventually will manage the entire development processes to ensure software quality, Kavadellas said. Caliber-Requirements Management is the first tool in the suite.
Demo marks maiden voyage of government into digital signatures
From the White House to the IRS, legally binding digital signatures are out of the experimental stage and into actual use. When President Clinton and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern attached their digital signatures early this month to a joint communique about electronic commerce, it marked the first time two heads of state used encrypted signature technology. It also drove home the fact that the federal government is starting to accept such signatures as legally binding.
White House OKs export of some strong encryption
FBI's Carolyn Morris says center will help fulfill investigative duties. The Clinton administration will allow the export of strong encryption products for protecting certain types of data and supports creation of a federal encryption research center, White House officials said this month. The announcement was an attempt to resolve the long-standing dispute between companies that use encryption to protect proprietary information and law enforcement and national security agencies that need access to computer data
GSA smart card center opens for agency tryouts
When it opened its new Smart Card Technology Center this month, the General Services Administration opted to use the tools the center will promote. So the center has a smart card access system that makes it one of the most secure offices at GSA headquarters. To enter the facility, one must pass through the center's smart card electronic access control system, which officials call the gatekeeper. To gain access, users must insert smart cards into a
DOD's new paperless buying system gets first use in Army
The Army Space and Missile Defense Command contract office in Huntsville, Ala., is the first Defense Department organization to fully implement the department's paperless procurement system. The command, which spends almost $2 billion each year on R&D and services, declared the Standard Procurement System fully operational late last month after DOD's Office of Operational Test and Evaluation reviewed the installation.
Web-to-host application in Java saves steps for hosts
Reflection EnterView, a nearly 100 percent Java application, administers host-access applications centrally and avoids hands-on administration at each desktop system, said Scott Merrick, a market manager for WRQ Inc. of Seattle. "In supply-chain management, providing access to host applications for users both inside and outside [government] is becoming key," Merrick said. Administrators need no specialized knowledge of Java or the Hypertext Markup Language to use the Web-to-host application, he said.
HomeSite adds finishing touch to a page
Pros and cons: + Good tools that don't get in the way + Easy transition to XML tagging – Short on project-management features Real-life requirements: Win95 or Windows NT, 5M free storage, CD-ROM drive if purchased on CD Point-and-click Web editors such as Microsoft FrontPage or Adobe PageMill are great for making pages fast, but you rarely get exactly what you want.
IRS advisory group will promote electronic filing
The IRS has brought together tax preparers, software company executives and educators to help it sell electronic filing to the public. Congress required the IRS to set up the 17-member Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee under the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act it passed last year. The committee will meet quarterly. Two meetings will be open to the public; two will be closed for working sessions, IRS officials said.
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