Interior

Interior says cloud e-mail data must be stored in US

The department revised its RFP for an agencywide cloud e-mail and collaboration platform, saying the data must physically reside in the U.S. or its territories.

Geospatial Platform puts data, maps and apps all in one place

A multiagency effort is developing a one-stop shop for accurate, interoperable geospatial data, maps and tools from across government.

Taking criminal justice resources into the wild

Access to law enforcement data brings additional convenience and safety for federal officers spread across large territories.

Cloud offers feds access to police data

The Fish and Wildlife Service has led the way in testing a commercial infrastructure that gives federal officers the same access to law enforcement databases that state and local police have had for years.

Interior wants to take 88,000 e-mail users to the cloud

The Interior Department is looking to take e-mail and collaboration services to the cloud, supporting 88,000 users across all DOI bureaus and office.

Do consolidation and cloud always kill jobs?

Shuttering data centers and moving to the cloud can mean the loss of employees. But in some cases, agencies might need to hire more technical experts.

E-mail breach exposes SEC employees data

An unencrypted e-mail sent by a contractor at Interior's National Business Center exposed data on 4,000 SEC employees, but only for only about 60 seconds.

How 3 agencies are managing the move to mobile devices

Interior, ATF and GSA try to work out the details regarding infrastructure and application issues of deploying wireless technology.

No lie: GSA backs Google on FISMA certification

The General Services Administration says its FISMA certification for Google's Apps for Government "remains intact" during review.

Federal agencies in the cloud

Check out this list of agency-to-agency sources of cloud computing services.

Interior tests iPads as interest in tablets grows

The Interior Department is testing Apple iPads for use in its various departments while federal agencies cast an eye on what kind of cost and employee efficiency can be gained by rolling out tablet devices as Research in Motion and Google start to bring major players to the market.

2 ways to improve collaboration

Customized search tools and internal Web portals help advance government agency collaboration efforts, as shown by examples at the U.S. Geological Survey and Energy Department.

Move to the cloud could set CIOs free

The move to cloud computing will give agency chief information officers the chance to perform the job they were tasked to do 14 years ago with the passage of the Clinger-Cohen Act, according to Pat Stingley, chief technology officer with the Bureau of Land Management.

How do we know an earthquake's epicenter?

Earthquakes in the Eastern United States are rare, because the region is relatively geologically stable, but when a quake hits, it's felt much further from its epicenter than a West Coast earthquake. The location, strength and depth of an earthquake are determined by detecting the series of waves it generates.

Earthquakes are something to tweet about

Tweets are far from being scientific information, but the U.S. Geological Survey is finding Twitter helpful in monitoring earthquakes in real time.

Agencies' big security weakness: Lack of money and people

The problem with government IT security is not so much a lack of adequate regulations but a lack of resources to ensure that agencies practice good security, says former Interior CIO Hord Tipton.

Remember the fallen this Memorial Day

GCN Lab director John Breeden considers the real meaning of the first holiday of summer.