MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT, this week launched three new cloud computing initiatives intended to help accelerate cloud computing adoption across the Federal government. […]

Key Federal leaders share their thoughts on FITARA, cybersecurity, and more.

Much of the controversial Patriot Act expires June 1, and Congress faces three choices: Keep the National Security Administration’s (NSA) surveillance capabilities intact, lessen NSA’s power, or do nothing – effectively letting the law expire.

Lawmakers this week will begin what could be a long debate over encryption and the role of technology companies, with people on all sides of the debate discussing the law enforcement and privacy implications of the controversial issue.

Perennially defending itself against cyberattacks, the Pentagon will go on the offensive and unleash its cyber-arsenal against hackers.

The world is going mobile. Apple sold 60 million iPhones in the last quarter alone. Three out of five ESPN users view the site on a mobile device. And one in every four visitors to a federal government website uses a phone or tablet.

Federal agencies are using social media as a real-time engagement and response tool and letting politicians make all the gaffes.

It’s not a matter of if you’ll get hacked – it’s when.

Here’s the latest wrinkle in the global data trade: Customers are trading privacy for lower insurance rates. Insurer John Hancock and global wellness firm, Vitality, are both willing to cut your premiums – but only if they can track your activity.

Archaic rules are holding the Senate back from making better use of digital communication technologies, write Sens. Cory Booker and Claire McCaskill, in a letter to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

The military isn’t dipping its toes into cloud waters, it’s diving in. The Pentagon outspends many countries, and its 2015 cloud investment will reach nearly $773 million, accounting for 37 percent of all Federal cloud spending.

President Obama last week signed an Executive Order allowing the U.S. to impose sanctions on people and organizations that threaten the U.S. in cyber space, ratcheting up pressure on allies and adversaries alike to police their cyber citizens.

Booth babes are to trade shows like engine noise is to NASCAR – it seems you can’t have one without the other. Until now.

Since President Obama appointed Tony Scott as Federal CIO six weeks ago, Scott has toured agencies and made only a few public appearances. But last week was his coming out party. He made at least two appearances and didn’t hold back his opinions.

The Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) is driving change and savings – $3.2 billion by the end of this year according to some estimates. But surveys of federal IT professionals show that 72 percent of agencies have the same or more data centers today than before the initiative.

The crowd at South by Southwest didn’t stand up and cheer last week when Commerce Department Secretary Penny Pritzker announced that Ian Kalin will become the agency’s chief data officer.

South by Southwest – dubbed SXSW – is the annual technology, film and music festival in Austin, Texas. It’s a melting pot of culture and technology, part Consumer Electronics Show (CES), part National Association of Broadcasters, part Cannes Film Festival, and part Lollapalooza music festival all rolled into one.

Call him Tony the Tiger: Just weeks into his new job, new Federal CIO Tony Scott is on the prowl for the most promising techies on the government payroll.

“E-mailgate” makes us wonder how many government officials regularly work off the government grid.

The Government Accountability Office two weeks ago added IT to its biennial list of high-risk issues. But it’s not all because of big, failed projects. Legacy systems are among the biggest culprits.