Government IT News for VARs – August 4, 2014

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

In the news this week, the Federal Cloud Migration continues slowly, and as federal agencies increasingly use social media, they need to establish appropriate policies to govern them.  Russia also wants Apple and SAP to release source codes, which will be unlikely. 

Federal Cloud Adoption Blossoms

This article from e-Commerce Times examines  the tepid adoption of federal cloud storage, discussing the various aspects of the transition.  NIST’s Robert Bohn stated, “We see a need to standardize elements of cloud adoption to improve [SLAs] and other procurement components with more clarity." While some initial aspects of cloud adoption were addressed by other NIST working groups, the interoperability and portability factors – "the 800 pound gorilla in the room" – are now being addressed as part of an evolving process.

Your Agency Tweets May Be Government Records

Fed Tech Magazine examines what approach agencies should take to manage employee use of social media.  According to the National Archives and Records Administration , agency tweets may be government records. As federal agencies increasingly utilize social media to communicate with their employees and the public, they should establish a foundation for successful capture by ensuring that appropriate policies and retention schedules are in place prior to using social media.

Russia Cites Surveillance Concerns in Apple, SAP Source Code

This article from e-Commerce Times reports that  Russia wants Apple and SAP to turn over their source code in yet another instance of fallout resulting from leaks about NSA surveillance activities. However, Apple and SAP likely will snub Russia's source code demands, even though Microsoft has been sharing for years. "Global reach for its products is more important to Microsoft than to Apple or SAP," said TBR analyst Ezra Gottheil. "Both Apple and SAP have significant, but not critical, business in Russia. ... I believe both businesses can withstand loss of the Russian government as a customer."

Government IT Talking Points:

Tech News World reported that an attack on Tor, a network designed to cloak users in anonymity, resulted in a breach that caused the project team to scramble for a solution. Tor was infiltrated by two Carnegie-Mellon researchers, who figured out how to deanonymize users of the network. There are rumors that the two researchers were working with NSA, however Tech News World does not expect this to be the case.

A new customized dashboard released by the Office of Personnel Management allows federal managers to better analyze employee satisfaction and demographics data. The new dashboard, called UnlockTalent.gov, offers charts, graphs, maps, videos, and other tools for analyzing feedback from the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and other data sources. The dashboard is intended to help managers enhance their engagement strategies and ultimately create a culture of excellence for employees, according to OPM.