Government IT News For VARs — March 12, 2014
In the news, the proposed federal IT budget for 2015 totals a little less than 2014 — mostly related to the Defense Department’s requested tech budget. In other news, MeriTalk announces the “Fed RAMP OnRAMP” portal to help with the government transition to cloud computing, and the OTSP seeks comments from you on the impact of Big Data on privacy, the economy, and public policy.
Proposed Federal IT Budget For 2015 Down About $2 Billion
A NextGov article reports President Obama’s proposed budget for 2015 keeps funding for civilian information technology projects and maintenance about the same as 2014, and slightly decreases the technology allowance requested by the Defense Department. The article cites information from federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel, reporting the proposed IT budget is $79.1 billion, ($43.7 billion for civilian IT and $35.4 billion for defense), down from about $81.4 billion for 2014. The decrease in the budget is possible because of shared services and strategic sourcing for IT.
MeriTalk Announces “FedRAMP OnRAMP”
MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT, in collaboration with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), announced a new initiative, FedRAMP OnRAMP, designed to accelerate government transition to cloud computing. The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), which includes security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services has a June deadline for cloud service providers that work with federal agencies. These providers will have to meet program requirements, apply or work with a sponsoring agency to make a submission to FedRAMP for authorization, have a third-party assessment, and provide continuous monitoring and reports to FedRAMP. See press release.
OSTP Seeks Comments On Impacts Of Big Data
Following the White House Office of Science and Technology policy (OSTP) conference on Big Data and privacy technologies, held with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the OSTP is requesting public comment on the ways in which Big Data may impact privacy, the economy, and public policy. Responses, due by March 31, 2014, can be sent to bigdata@ostp.gov.
In the next conference in the series on March 17, OSTP, the Data & Society Research Institute, and New York University will explore the social, cultural, and ethical implications of Big Data.
Government IT Talking Points
Federal Times reports the Marine Corps will launch a small beta program with Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T to test whether wireless carriers can manage the security of mobile devices, based on Marine Corps policies and standards.
Also in Federal Times, IBM is working to set a new record, using technology — an analog to digital converter — that can increase Internet data transfer rates by as much as 400 gigabits per second.
A GovTech article shares the story of how Palm Beach, FL, met tax exempt bond documentation requirements by integrating ERP software with a document management system.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Government IT Resource Center.