Government Policy, Business and Technology: i360 Gov

Closing the Digital Divide in Government: 5 Strategies for Digital Transformation

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:25:32 -0500

From NextGov: Change is seldom easy. Yet for government and public sector executives, the need to modernize has never been greater, as there is a growing digital divide between constituent expectations and what many governments can offer.

Citizens are demanding a more connected government.

Energy Department wants national labs to drive regional innovation

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:24:24 -0500

From GCN: DOE is looking for ideas on how regional ecosystems could leverage a nearby national lab to power innovation and economic prosperity.

When May a Robot Kill? New Pentagon Policy Tries to Clarify

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:22:08 -0500

From GovExec: Did you think the Pentagon had a hard rule against using lethal autonomous weapons? It doesn’t. But it does have hoops to jump through before such a weapon might be deployed. An updated policy tweaks wording in a bid to dispel confusion.

IT leaders take note: The future is what you create

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:20:24 -0500

From CIO: High-profile IT disasters are enforcing the dystopic visions and macro-pessimisms saturating the cultural consciousness. Only by steeling against perpetuating past IT sins and embracing possibility can we make something brighter.

VA Says Its Renewed Infrastructure Review Will Focus on Building First

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:18:12 -0500

From GovExec: The Veterans Affairs Department is once again evaluating its physical footprint after significant controversy forced it to abandon a previous effort, though it has promised to take a vastly different approach this time around.

CISA releases guide to help safeguard K-12 schools from cyber threats

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:11:30 -0500

From GCN: CISA’s report, which was mandated by the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021, outlined a variety of steps that primary and secondary schools can take to bolster their cyber defenses.

2023: The Year of Modern Government

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:05:43 -0500

From NextGov: The last several years have brought about a digital acceleration across industries once thought to be years away. Society has increasingly become conditioned to operate in new ways, often through the click of a button, replacing our volume of daily in-person interactions.

In the public sector, while significant strides have been made to modernize operations and create positive change for employees and communities, much work remains. Indeed, as constituent expectations rise and new workforce challenges emerge, government leaders will need to embrace a people-first approach if they hope to continue their modern government journey.

Future-proofing smart cities with open standards

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:03:43 -0500

From GCN: Open standards can help smart cities prevent tech obsolescence and maximize growth.

Veterans Affairs Unveils Draft for $60B T4NG 2 Vehicle

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:01:06 -0500

From NextGov: The Veterans Affairs Department is putting the pressure on industry to respond quickly to its draft solicitation for the next iteration of the VA's main contract for acquiring technology transformation services and solutions.

University of Ottawa’s Martin Bernier on continuous learning

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:51:52 -0500

From CIO: CIO.com’s Lee Rennick chats with University of Ottawa CIO Martin Bernier about how building diverse and equitable teams, and cultivating allyships to support diversity in technology are key to continuous learning.

5 States Challenged the Federal Contractor Wage Increase and Lost

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:48:14 -0500

From GovExec: But this may not be the end of the dispute, which stems from an April 2021 executive order.

Defense Logistics Agency to Shift Warehouse Management to Commercial Software

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:44:41 -0500

From NextGov: The Defense Department’s central agency for managing the military’s supply chain is modernizing its warehouse management technology and plans to move from government-built systems to commercial software.

What Is ChatGPT and How Is It Used in Education?

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:23:37 -0500

From Education Week: During the chaotic summer of 2020, filled with pandemic panic and political protests, the emergence of a sophisticated new artificial intelligence tool that could credibly tweet, type, and code on its own was far from most educators’ minds.

5 Things Holding Innovation Back at the IRS

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:21:01 -0500

From GovExec: Frustration with the IRS—it’s practically an American tradition. But now, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the infamously hamstrung institution has been promised $80 billion over the next decade. The range of responses elicited by this decision make it clear that many of us are struggling to sort out what this realistically means for our families when filing season rolls around.

How solar surge saved Europe from the energy crisis

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:13:01 -0500

From Renewable Energy World: While both wind and solar delivered Europe through the energy crunch by generating more than a fifth of EU electricity in 2022, it was solar power that made the biggest impact, setting electricity generation records and saving billions in imported gas costs.

Study: Puerto Rico should go solar to meet clean energy goal

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:11:06 -0500

From Renewable Energy World: A U.S. government study has determined that with little room on the island for large-scale solar farms or wind generators, Puerto Rico should aim to reach its clean-energy goals by installing solar panels on all suitable rooftops, along with airports, brownfields and industrial areas.

K12 Schools View Technology as a Guardrail for Good Digital Citizenship

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:08:44 -0500

From EdTech Magazine: Technologies that detect plagiarism and filter websites can turn student lapses into learning opportunities.

5 ways our district streamlines edtech ecosystems

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:07:16 -0500

e-School News: Student data privacy has been at the forefront of district leaders’ minds well before the pandemic. However, since COVID-19 shifted schools and classrooms online, it’s not surprising that tech usage has reached an all-time high. Districts are accessing 1,400 edtech tools per month on average, and cybersecurity attacks in our nation’s schools are also increasing.

14 Technology Predictions for Higher Education in 2023 -- Campus Technology

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:06:20 -0500

Campus Technology: How will technologies and practices like artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, digital transformation, and change management impact colleges and universities this year? Here's what the experts told us.

Hackers used legit remote monitoring software to hack agency networks

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:05:04 -0500

From FCW: Guidance from the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency describe a phishing attack on a federal employee that used fake help desk domains to gain access to at least two federal civilian executive branch networks.

States should follow feds in Chinese tech bans

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:03:02 -0500

From GCN: With a recent report citing at least 1,600 state and local agencies still buying IT and communications equipment from China, one researcher advised they follow federal guidance more closely.

Dozens of US schools, universities move to ban TikTok

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:02:09 -0500

From GCN: The social media platform is falling out of favor among school officials as the app becomes increasingly dangerous for cyberattacks and students' physical and mental health.

A new initiative seeks to help small cities access infrastructure funding

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:00:34 -0500

From GCN: The program will work with communities to assemble strong grant applications that can win some of the billions of dollars available.

Governments view open source as critical for enhancing digital services, experts say

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:59:43 -0500

From GCN: The U.S. government is “still in the process of organizing and coordinating” its own strategy around the use of open source software, according to a CISA official.

What Motivates Remote Workers to Protect IT Assets?

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:58:35 -0500

From NextGov: Researchers found that fear of what could go wrong is the primary driver in getting remote workers to protect IT systems.