Articles by John K. Higgins

Results 101-120 of 359 for John K. Higgins
GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Feds Value - but Don't Always Use - Big Data Tools for Cybersecurity

U.S. government agencies can significantly improve their ability to deal with cybersecurity problems by utilizing big data analytics. However, agencies are finding it difficult to fully benefit from these advanced analytical tools for a variety of reasons -- including dealing with the sheer volume of data, which will only keep growing Cyberthreats...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Supreme Court to Hear 'Non-Injury' Privacy Class Action

The U.S. Supreme Court last month granted a request from Spokeo, a data aggregator, to consider whether the legal basis litigants must meet to file a claim in federal court should be broadly or narrowly defined. In the case, Spokeo, Inc. v. Thomas Robins, Thomas Robins is a resident of Virginia acting individually and as representative of a class....

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Feds Get Forward-Looking IT Procurement Advice

The old clich about the difficulty of turning an aircraft carrier around applies to changing the way government deals with investing in information technology, according to two recent reports Federal agencies need to change course in handling IT spending quickly, particularly in reversing the inertia behind longstanding conflicts between chief info...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Reports: Federal IT Managers Should Look Forward, Not Back

The dynamic world of information technology calls for a future-oriented approach to IT management. However, government agencies too often may be looking backward rather than forward with respect to how they operate IT systems, especially when it comes to investing huge sums of taxpayer money into those resources Two recent assessments of government...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

FTC Upgrades IT to Protect Consumer Privacy, Data Security

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which is at the forefront of regulating the impact of information technology on consumers, is bolstering its technical resource capabilities through a new Office of Technology Research and Investigation, or OTRI The FTC's significant and growing role in data security and privacy protection does not arise from any ...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Commerce Department Embarks on Data Revolution

All major U.S. government agencies employ a chief technology officer who generally deals with the management of information technology resources including hardware, software, cybersecurity and the mechanics of the digital world The U.S. Commerce Department has now gone a step further in addressing the challenges presented by an ever-evolving world ...

Feds Put Big Money Into IT Innovations

The U.S. government spends tens of billions of dollars each year just to make sure that computer and data processing systems keep functioning on a day-to-day basis. With so much investment allocated for operations and maintenance of legacy systems, it makes sense that far fewer dollars are available for cutting-edge information technology investment -- also known as "development, modernization and enhancement" spending...

Proposed 2016 Federal Budget Plumps IT Spending by $2B

The U.S. government will increase spending on information technology for the third year in a row, if the Obama administration's proposed 2016 fiscal year budget is passed. The fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 The 2016 budget request includes civilian agency IT spending at US$49.1 billion and defense IT expenditures at $37.3 billion. The 2016 total of ...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Just Showing Up Won't Capture Federal Cloud Business

The observation that "80 percent of life is just showing up," generally attributed to comedian Woody Allen, has morphed into the admonition that "80 percent of success is just showing up." However, it appears that vendors who just show up with a generalized approach to marketing cloud technology to federal government agencies likely won't attract ...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

FTC, Private Sector Lock Horns Over Consumer Data Protection

The major headline hacking event of 2014 involved data theft at a highly visible enterprise: Sony Pictures Perhaps just as significant in e-commerce security, but below the conventional news radar, was a 2014 federal court ruling which allows the Federal Trade Commission to continue penalizing commercial firms for failure to protect consumer data f...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Vendors Jostle to Gain Edge in Growing Federal Cloud Market

A major information technology trend within the U.S. government is the gradual -- and apparently inexorable -- migration of federal IT resources to cloud platforms. As the potential for federal cloud adoption has grown, vendors have intensified their marketing and improved their offerings to meet the emerging IT requirements of government agencies ...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Federal 'Internet of Things' Report Triggers Debate, Senate Inquiry

Just how close is 'too close for comfort' in the unprecedented connectivity of people, products and electronic communication that lies ahead with the Internet of Things? Should the providers of electronic devices be allowed to know when you set your house thermometer, or how often and how long you go for a jog using a 'wearable' electronic exercise sensor?...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

FTC Argues Against IoT Law, For Now

The future explosion in e-commerce connectivity of all manner of electronic devices, sensors, and consumer products -- known as the Internet of Things (IoT) -- will pose a major challenge to ensure that IoT data is secure and that personal privacy is protected. The global "installed and connected base" of IoT units will reach approximately 30 billion in 2020, noted IDC in a November 2014 report...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Businesses Seek Liability Protection for Cybersecurity Disclosures

"No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families," President Barack Obama told the U.S. Congress during the State of the Union Address last week However, hunting down the perpetrators of cyberattacks that compromise national security or disrupt commerce is o...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

White House Jump-Starts Cybersecurity Protection Programs

As members of the U.S. Congress started to prepare for the upcoming legislative session, President Obama lost little time in putting cybersecurity near the top of a to-do list for lawmakers. During a visit to the federal National Cybersecurity Communications Integration Center, Obama called for additional legislation to improve information technology protection...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Feds Struggle to Keep Up With Digital Access Demand

The explosion in the use of mobile devices in the United States is posing a major challenge for the federal government to provide public access to agencies via wireless channels. In an effort to keep pace with technology, the U.S. government launched the Digital Government Strategy in May 2012 with the goal of providing citizen access to federal services and information anywhere, anytime, on any device.

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Federal IT Reform: Just Getting Started

Information technology providers who market to the federal government got some holiday cheer as the U.S. Congress and the White House approved legislation to improve the way the government acquires IT equipment and services. The reforms are significant and welcome, and no doubt will facilitate the marketing of IT to federal agencies. President Oba...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Tech Sector Sees Federal IT Act as 1st Step to Significant Reform

The political spotlight in Washington was on congressional approval of the 2015 budget before legislators broke for the holidays, but a less volatile proposal also was passed in the closing days of the session -- one of considerable importance to the information technology sector For information technology providers, final approval of the 2015 budg...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Flat Federal IT Market Means Vendors Must Work Harder, Smarter

The U.S. government will remain a steady and significant customer for information technology providers over the next several years. That's the good news for vendors. For the foreseeable future, though, the days of ever-growing federal spending for IT are over The clear takeaways from several recent conferences focusing on the federal IT market: Ven...

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT

Federal IT Contract Forecast: Mostly Foggy

Federal agencies will be keeping a sharp eye on how much they spend on information technology over the next several years, as budgets will remain tight. In order to deal effectively with tighter budgets, IT providers to the government will have to understand the complex contracting procedures federal agencies will use to maintain discipline in spending.

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