Online extra | VPNs, literally speaking
Looking to help an agency implement a virtual private network? Experts recommend the following considerations when answering a request for proposals.
IG: DHS struggles with illegal-alien tracking systems
The Homeland Security Department has made little progress in recent years in improving its aging IT systems for tracking the detentions and removals of illegal aliens, according to a new report from DHS inspector general Richard L. Skinner.
Defense agency taps ODIN Tech for RFID equipment
ODIN Technologies of Dulles, Va., won a Defense Logistics Agency deal to deploy passive RFID equipment at 26 facilities globally by the end of 2007.
Ciber wins Pa. Turnpike Commission ERP work
Ciber Inc. won a $58 million contract with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to transform the agency's outdated IT systems into a single, integrated, enterprise resource planning system.
Five qualify for $4 billion USAID IT services deal
Five companies won the right to compete for task orders under a five-year, $4 billion IT and communications services contract from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Crossed wires
Homeland Security Department border agents are mired in a debate over how best to make compatible two multibillion-dollar wireless networks.
San Francisco project taps radio waves for connectivity
Much of downtown San Francisco is wired with fiber-optic cable to serve the broadband needs of city agencies and departments. But for the water-pump stations for the city and county of San Francisco, a broadband connection was out of reach. The San Francisco city and county Public Works Department hired Xtech LLC to connect the pump stations, said John Eaton, an Xtech partner.
Sun shines hot on the grid
When a government agency needs telephone service, it doesn't go out and buy dozens of components, build a switching system and run its own network. It simply buys a subscription for the service from a telecommunications company.
For warfighters, no such thing as too much information
Network-centric warfare and Global Information Grid are all about getting information to where warfighters need it, a top official at the Defense Information Systems Agency said at an industry meeting today.
IBM, Alvarion fashion public-safety wireless alliance
IBM Corp. and Alvarion Inc. have established an alliance to offer wireless systems to municipalities and their public safety agencies.
GAO to FAA: Keep sharp eye on ATC modernization
The two offices responsible for overseeing the modernization of the country's air traffic control system still face challenges in a number of key areas, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Raytheon snares NOAA high-performance computing contract
Raytheon Co. has won a contract worth up to $368 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for high-performance computing resources to support advances in NOAA's environmental modeling capabilities.
Net-enabled command program moving ahead
The Defense Information Systems Agency is moving forward on a program to implement Net-enabled command capabilities, with a request for information due for release shortly.
Pandemic simulation reveals critical vulnerabilities
Results of a recent influenza pandemic simulation show that telecommunications systems could be overwhelmed, and the Internet could shut down within two to four days of an outbreak.
Interoperable communications need common language
Police and other emergency response departments in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., have standardized on common 800MHz communications systems. What remains to be done in establishing interoperable systems is getting everyone on the same page.
BearingPoint wins NIH deal for data warehouse work
The National Institutes of Health will rely on BearingPoint Inc. to support information systems the agency uses to produce business intelligence reports.
Report: Hurricane-prone states not set for storm season
Eight hurricane-prone states still lack interoperable communications in the face of the 2006 storm season, according to a new report from the First Response Coalition.
Untethered Operations
Tucked in a corner of an airplane hangar in Iraq, an Air Force mechanic is repairing a plane's hydraulic landing gear system when he hits a snag and needs to refer to the aircraft's maintenance manual. He pulls out a ruggedized tablet computer to access the LAN. Within minutes, he has downloaded the information he needs from a U.S.-based database and is back to work on the plane.
WiFi gold rush
With cities in virtually every state interested in building their own wireless networks, the market for municipal WiFi is drawing a crowd of companies eager to cash in on the opportunity.
Emergency response streamlined
When Michigan was battered by severe windstorms in 1997 and 1998, the state's Emergency Management department and 20 of its local emergency response organizations went into action.
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