This year has been an important crossroads for the state and local government marketplace. Red-hot economic activity and overflowing revenue coffers have receded, while electronic government initiatives, though still moving forward, now must accommodate the new priorities and direction brought about by the events of Sept. 11.
The states need federal funding to help them beef up network security and protect critical information technology resources from attacks by hackers and terrorists, according to a national group of state chief information officers.
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and subsequent plans to reorganize the Justice Department have set in motion changes that will accelerate long-delayed improvements in the information technology capabilities of the FBI.
The General Services Administration is gearing up to evaluate comments from 167 companies on the creation of GovNet, a new, secure intranet for federal agencies.
Internet use is up, but enthusiasm for electronic commerce continues to be hampered by consumer worries about the privacy and security of online transactions, according to a report issued by the University of California at Los Angeles.
State and local governments will be seeking several billion dollars in federal grants and aid to help them with emergency preparedness, disaster prevention and other homeland security initiatives.
With the demand for cybersecurity professionals outstripping supply, high-tech companies and government agencies are using innovative programs to recruit and train workers with specialized skills in information security.
Security and mobility will be key elements in a network landscape that will change drastically over the next five years, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Nov. 12 in his annual state of the industry address at the Comdex Computer trade show in Las Vegas.
Security and mobility will be key elements in a network landscape that will change drastically over the next five years, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said.
President Bush's $20 billion emergency appropriations request is loaded with funding proposals for information technology initiatives to bolster computer security, improve airport security and provide training to counter biological and other threats.
Information technology contractors say it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill job openings that require high-level government security clearances, despite a flood of new applicants.
Imagine this scenario: Upon arrival at the airport, you show the ticket agent your government-issued identification card, place your thumb in a fingerprint reader to verify your identity, and it gets checked against a database of known terrorists.
With sole responsibility for moving the U.S. military through the air, the Air Force Mobility Command isn't exactly known for skimping on security. So the command's decision in early October to deploy wireless local area networks, or WLANs, may seem to be at odds with earlier news about the multiple security holes riddling the WLAN standard, known as 802.11.
The White House will be issuing executive orders in the coming weeks that should bring more insight into information technology's role in the emerging policy of homeland security, according to a high-ranking agency official.
Titan Corp. of San Diego has created a Homeland Security Office to focus on providing solutions to chemical and biological terrorism. CEO Gene Ray's company is touting a electronic solution to zap anthrax in mail and other packages.
When hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Sept. 11, state technology officers on the East Coast moved quickly to secure data centers and technology office operations.
In the 10 months after Electronic Data Systems Corp. won the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet project, the company had installed only the first five seats in the program, as the Navy and Congress took a cautious approach to the massive outsourcing effort. But following the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, the Navy used the NMCI program to quickly provide computer service to displaced personnel.
In the 10 months after Electronic Data Systems Corp. won the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet project, the company had installed only the first five seats in the program, as the Navy and Congress took a cautious approach to the massive outsourcing effort. But following the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, the Navy used the NMCI program to quickly provide computer service to displaced personnel.
Plans are under way among state governments to establish a national information-sharing center to boost network security and protect information technology infrastructures that belong to the states.
