Ready for Prime Time

It's prime time for Affiliated Computer Services Inc.With its $85 million purchase in June of SCT Corp.'s government unit, ACS has established itself as the U.S. leader in information technology outsourcing among local governments. But more than that, ACS officials said the purchase gives them the firepower to compete for large-scale outsourcing projects against the likes of Computer Sciences Corp., Electronic Data Systems Corp. and IBM Corp.Harvey Braswell, president of ACS government services division, spoke with about the acquisition and how it plays into the company's overall market strategy. The company's goal, he said, "is to become the largest state and local outsourcing entity." Staff Writer William Welsh's in-depth story about ACS is featured on our front page.By the way, if the cartoon below catches your attention, you might want to read our Workplace story about the vacationing habits of U.S. workers. Staff Writer Gail Repsher Emery found that large numbers of Americans have trouble leaving their work at the office. Many people, in fact, won't allow themselves to take vacations unless they bring along a laptop computer.If you're one of them, be sure to pack a copy of Washington Technology as well.