April 23, 2008

Klossner: IBM's double secret probation

In the 1978 movie Animal House, Dean Vernon Wormer of Faber College informs the members of the Delta House fraternity that they are on "double secret probation," a situation that caught them by surprise, not the least of it being caused by the fact that the only person aware of "double secret probation" was Dean Wormer himself. He had good reason for wanting Delta House kicked off campus, and they deserved much of it -- unfortunately he had to make up a process to accomplish his goal.

It's good to hear that the federal government has appreciation for classic comedy, although implementing their plots as policy probably doesn't help the government's image. (One can only wonder what policy is based on "The Producers.") When the EPA recently suspended IBM from all government contracts, the move, while apparently complying with existing regulations and guidelines, certainly channeled the spirit of Dean Wormer. And while I'm not accusing anyone in the EPA of acting in an egotistical manner, and I'm certainly not making an analogy of IBM and John Belushi, the policy and process deserves scrutiny.

A disappointing angle to all this is that many larger contractors are huffing and puffing about their federal relationships anyway, and many are threatening to take their balls and go home. Secretive and opaque policies like this aren't helping the discussion.

In considering an editorial angle for this issue, a couple points came to mind:

* To enable agencies to deal quickly and directly with contractor wrongdoing, a series of secretive and lower level steps are allowed -- heck, required -- with the goal of preventing agencies from getting stuck in a bureaucratic roundabout. This might allow individuals to make the call in dealing with a contractor, with minimal communication. An early sketch I did on the topic dealt with this.

* One article had a quote from an official who, in describing this policy, said these were merely "informal guidelines." I found this deliciously vague. Using "informal guidelines," I can throw my children in the lake this summer under the guise of swimming lessons or, in this case, an agency can use "informal guidelines" in dealing with contractors to cover everything from taking away their parking privileges to handing out double secret probation.

John Klossner
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April 14, 2008

Klossner: The Good Old Days

This morning I was getting a bagel and juice, and asked if the song being played in the bakery -- "Cynical Girl," by Marshall Crenshaw -- was radio, satellite radio or personal taste. The young woman behind the counter smiled loudly and said "Satellite. I love the '80s!" I suppressed the urge to say "Then I guess you've never heard REO Speedwagon," smiled back and secretly thanked her for the excessive cream cheese.

She isn't alone in her preference. The '80s seem to be the flavor of the month in our culture. Movies, music, and TV shows abound with '80s references. '80s icons Madonna, David Hasselhoff, Star Wars and Donald Rumsfeld have all found new lives at the turn of the century. I read somewhere that part of the fascination with that decade is technology based -- the '80s is viewed as the "pre-information" decade, a time when everyone wasn't wired, and therefore not expected to have all information at their finger tips. Maybe this leads to a view of it as a more innocent era -- a less-informed community that had more time for Jane Fonda workout tapes.
 
Interesting that, in our "connected" age, people are attracted to a "less connected" time, eh?

This brings us to this week's editorial issue, the Census Bureau's decision to back away from technological goals for nonresponse follow-up counts in the 2010 census and return to a paper-based count. On the surface, this seems as if census wasn't comfortable with the new technologies -- handheld computers -- and went back to something they knew -- paper. An initial thought was that this was a reverse evolution.

It came out, however, that this decision was based on Census not being able to get requirements for the handhelds to the manufacturer in time, despite warnings from Congress and the manufacturer. I would say this is just part of the process of creating technologies for nationwide deployment.
 
Census is bound to be a complex and slow process, with several missteps, and when the Census is a technologically efficient operation in 20 or 30 years, then this little bump will be all but forgotten. However, this move will increase the cost of the next census by $2 to $3 billion dollars and, as the saying goes, a billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

John Klossner
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April 7, 2008

Klossner: Accidents happen?

Every fall, after the leaves have turned but hopefully before the first snow, I go hiking with my friend (and former GAO employee) Andy. Our treks usually follow the same routine: We hike into one of the Appalachian Mountain Club huts, change from our sweaty and smelly hiking gear into our not-yet-sweaty-and-smelly indoor gear, eat one of the incredibly hearty hut meals (of course, after hiking for six to nine hours, a can of Spaghetti-O's qualifies as "hearty," but the hut meals are the real thing, I assure you) and go to the rustic bookshelves for back copies of "Appalachia."

"Appalachia," a publication of the Appalachian Mountain Club in the northeastern United States, calls itself "America's Longest-Running Journal of Mountaineering and Conservation." I first came across it while staying in one of the huts on the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Since, after a long day of hiking, I was too tired to read any of the lengthy pieces, I looked for shorter, more manageable entries -- pieces that I would be able to finish before falling asleep with the magazine over my face. This led me to the Accidents section.

"Appalachia" is published twice yearly. This allows the editors to compile all the previous season's — winter or summer — accidents in each issue, giving the reader a full slate of accidental possibilities. I find it educational, sobering and at times highly entertaining. (I'd share some favorites with you, but then I'd be exceeding international blogging length standards.)

One of my favorite ingredients of the Accidents section is the editor's comment that follows each entry. The Accidents editor has a wonderful voice — that of a stern, suffer-no-fools parent who offers little sympathy for the cast on your arm while he asks, "Well, what did you THINK would happen when you jumped off the garage roof?" The Accidents editor operates on the basic premise that the mountains and trails are wilderness, with no seatbelt regulations, no Wi-Fi, and no Starbucks, (rumors of Starbucks kiosks being installed in Yellowstone have not been substantiated at this time), and hikers are responsible for their own actions and interactions with nature.

This week's editorial subject brought the Accidents section to mind. The data breach at a National Institutes of Health agency could be read as an accident, something that is none-too-rare in our world these days. A laptop PC getting stolen can happen as easily as slipping on a wet rock at tree line. Besides, the laptop in question had been protected: It had been placed in a locked car trunk. What more could the employee have done? This is where the Accidents editor comes in. Instead of the "Gee, you're right. You did all you could do, short of staying in the trunk with the computer" response, he could give you the "What didn't you do?" response. In this case, I imagine the Accidents editor's comment as something like this:

Data theft is not an uncommon experience these days, and anyone who collects data assumes the responsibility for the safeguarding of the information. This includes taking all current technological precautions. Saying that the stolen laptop was "off and password protected" and that officials "believe it's unlikely that the patients will be victims of identity theft or financial loss" is not enough when there are other steps that could have been taken. In this case, the data was not encrypted, when encryption is an accepted and recommended practice with all sensitive data storage. The response from those who don't encrypt seems to be that it is an inconvenience — for both the party sending and the party receiving the data. One would assume this is not the same inconvenience as the negative publicity (and added man-hours of time spent dealing with the lost data ) an organization receives when they are the victim of a data theft. To its minor credit, NIH has now instituted a policy of encryption for all of its laptops. This is commendable, but it's not as if they didn't know about encryption before the theft. One hopes they are using this experience to become forward-looking with security policy, not shutting the barn door after the horses have left the laptop in the trunk.

In thinking about cartoon possibilities for this subject, I was torn between two directions: ignorance and laziness. If NIH officials were ignorant — they didn't know about encryption — that would be one thing, and I would do this cartoon.

But ignorance, as discussed in the editor's comment above, isn't the case here. The parties involved didn't encrypt because of the inconvenience. That led to this week's cartoon.

John Klossner
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March 24, 2008

Work in Progress: Upcoming FCW features

Have a question or comment? Send an e-mail to jmonroe AT fcw DOT com.

Homeland security and other initiatives depend on close collaboration between federal, state and local agencies. But such collaborations often prove difficult to carry out. For this special report, FCW will provide readers with best practices and lessons learned drawn from several successful initiatives, with additional insights provided by some of the thought leaders in the state and local IT community.

Writer: Brian Robinson (brian AT hullite DOT com)

May 5: DOD Spotlight

The recently created Africa Command is combining people and resources from across not just DOD, but from other agencies as well. This article will look at the challenges DOD faces in creating a cross-functional organization, but also a communications, training and infrastructure challenge. 

Writer: David Walsh (pixwords AT mindspring DOT com)

May 12: Web 2.0 special report

A growing number of federal agencies are looking cautiously at the burgeoning Web 2.0 market. Blogs, wikis and other social networking applications have the potential to create new lines of communication with other organizations and with their constituents. This article, based on interviews with industry and government experts, will help agencies understand the opportunities and the risks that come with Web 2.0 technology.

Writer: John Zyskowski (j AT zyskowski DOT net)

May 12: DOD Spotlight

The University of Central Florida is developing a new “Deployable Virtual Training Environment” to help the Navy train members of its Naval Expeditionary Combat Command. This article will discuss new techniques and approaches in training that are essential to this program.

Writer: David F. Carr (david AT carrcommunications DOT com)

May 19: Mobile applications

FCW will examine some of the policy and management challenges associated with the burgeoning use of mobile technology.

* After a VA laptop containing personal data was stolen last year, the Office of Management and Data issued a policy requiring federal agencies to encrypt data on any mobile device that contains personal information. But how do you implement and enforce such a policy? FCW will highlight some early best practices and lessons by agencies that have made it work.

Writer: Mary Mosquera (mmosquera AT 1105govinfo DOT com)

* Personal digital assistants are not just information devices: They are management tools. Many federal managers now use PDAs to stay in touch with employees and to coordinate with them on policies and projects. FCW will talk with CIOs and management experts about the keys to fully realizing the benefits of mobile technology -- and the pitfalls to avoid.

Writer: Florence Olsen (folsen AT 1105govinfo DOT com)

These articles are part of a "360 degree" special report, done in conjunction with Government Computer News and Washington Technology.

GCN will focus on new and emerging mobile technology:

* The use of smart phones is booming and application developers are rushing to fill the demand for more powerful mobile applications. From software to manage conference calls using a BlackBerry to location-based services for first responders, GCN looks at the cutting edge and to see where things are going.

* Whether it’s smart phones or notebook computers, developers are increasingly looking to building security capabilities into the hardware itself to make it more difficult for hackers to get around when a device is lost or stolen. GCN examines the latest efforts by chipmakers and device manufacturers.

For more information on GCN features, contact Patrick Marshall (pgmarshall AT pgmarshall DOT net)

Washington Technology, meanwhile, will discuss the business outlook for mobile applications and how systems integrators can back up their marketing claims. This article will examine the market and where the opportunities are evolving and what areas to avoid. It will provide data on the size of the market and where agencies are spending their money. It will also look at the type of business case a systems integrator needs to present to convince a customer that mobile makes sense for them.

For more information on Washington Technology coverage, contact Nick Wakeman (nwakeman AT 1105govinfo DOT com)

May 19: CXO Lessons Learned

Federal managers looking for information technology expertise often bring in IT professionals from the private sector to work side by side with agency staff. The result, a so-called blended workforce, presents numerous management challenges. In this issue, we will discuss those challenges and share lessons learned from agencies that have done it well.

Writer: Richard Walker (rwalker AT FCW DOT com)

May 19: Executech

TBD

June 2: Security convergence

HSPD-12, the governmentwide credentialing strategy, is generally seen as a key component of future efforts to combine physical and IT security initiatives. The Defense Department has led the way in piloting the use of smart credentials to improve security on both fronts. In this article, we will highlight lessons learned and best practices from DOD that can help civilian agencies as develop their own initiatives.

Writer: Brian Robinson (brian AT hullite DOT com)

June 2: Smart Manager's Guide

What good is a Web site if no one knows its there? Fortunately, federal agencies now have a wide range of tools available to help online visitors find and share information published on their Web sites. This article will provide federal IT managers with a quick primer on the latest generation of Web sharing software, so they can build it into their long-term strategies.

Writer: Brian Robinson (brian AT hullite DOT com)

June 9: Networx

One year has passed since the General Services Administration awarded contracts under Networx, the federal government's primary program for telecommunications and related services. In this article, FCW will look at agencies' progress in making the transition to the new program and examine the challenges that lie ahead.

Writer: Dave Perera (dave AT dperera DOT com)

June 16: COOP (Part 1)

In the first story of this two-part series on continuity of operations (COOP), FCW looks at the critical role human capital planning plays in an agency's ability to recover after a major disruption to regular operations. Some agencies now have a portion of their workforce set up for telework, which can be a valuable element of a COOP. However, what management and support measures can help insure that office-based employees can also continue to work from an alternative location if a prolonged disruption occurs?         

Writer: Richard Walker (rwalker AT FCW DOT com)

June 23: COOP (Part 2)

The second part of the COOP series will outline the importance of making data and system security an integral part of an agency recovery plan. Data and system availability objectives have traditionally been COOP priorities, but experts recommend that agencies give security issues equal attention so that the data and systems used during a recovery can be trusted and kept compliant with data privacy and integrity policies. Are there ways to meet such objectives without creating a costly, duplicative security infrastructure?

Writer: Alan Joch (ajoch AT worldpath DOT net)

Need more info? Send a note to letters@fcw.com (subject line: Feature info).

John Monroe
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March 24, 2008

Work in Progress: Kids these days

When I was in my 20s, I was attempting to create a career in cartooning. Although I realize "a career in cartooning" sounds oxymoronic, many people in my professional community understand what this entails. In my case, it meant a combination of driving and painting jobs, with the usual knocking on the doors of local newspaper and newsletter publishers, begging them to find that spare 25 bucks in their budgets for a cartoon. (Prices have dropped considerably since then. I blame the Internet.)

It is therefore with some incredulity, and much respect, that I learn of the Rising Star awards, for which nominations are announced in this issue. These awards go to younger government workers who have stood out or made a difference in their workplaces at this early stage of their careers. (Again, I am reminded that the major difference I made in the early part of my career was in finding a shorter route from Cape Cod to Boston on my deliveries. Since the stores on the southern part of the route closed after I moved to another job, I left no legacy.)

In researching and thinking of an editorial angle for the cartoon about the Rising Stars, several thoughts occurred to me:

* Is there an age cutoff for the awards? And should there be? Is this award ageism? What if you're a happening 31-year-old who accomplished twice as much as the 30-year-old who got the award, the publicity and the promotion, complete with a cushy office with a view of the Mall? Is that fair? And would that motivate you or would it send you into a tail-spinning funk, losing everyone involved your productivity for the near future?

* Related to this announcement for nominations, this issue of FCW features the Federal 100 -- the world-renowned awards for individual excellence or contributions to government work. I'm afraid to say this, but are the Fed 100 awards the grown-up version of the Rising Stars awards?  And is there an award gap, a space that exists between being eligible for a Rising Star and being realistically eligible for a Fed 100? Does FCW have to come up with an in-between award? if so, I  propose calling it the "We needed to keep the people in the events department busy" awards.

 In trying to create a cartoon on this subject, some scrambling was required. As I've written before, a positive editorial is a hard subject to cartoon. Are we for or against young talented federal employees who work incredibly hard to improve public service?

I think you see what I mean.

I started looking for a different take on the subject, and found gold: Steve Kelman's column on younger employees and the issues they face. As you can see, in recent columns Steve has addressed the hiring and retaining of younger government employees. Besides touching on some other subjects that could serve as future cartoon fodder (e.g., the attracting and retaining of younger workers; how younger workers see federal bureaucracy as a major impediment), I found the underlying idea -- that of federal employment being a challenge for younger workers -- to be something to use for an editorial angle.

Top 8 ways to retain (younger) employees

(An irony here is that any program implemented to help retain younger employees will also -- I assume -- help retain all employees, no matter their age. I guess we're using the younger people as cover.)

• 8. Show them that all phones and computers are, indeed, working and that someone may actually return their messages some day.
• 7. Promise that if they ever make it to a Cabinet-level position, they might be able to get an iPhone.
• 6. Allow flotation devices in the Reflecting Pool during "Federal Employee Swim."
• 5. Cut back to a 70-hour work week (oops, may be too extreme).
• 4. Give away T-shirts stating "GAO - OMG!" to new hires.
• 3. Change "Casual Friday" to "Clothing-optional Friday."
• 2. Build a casino on the Mall.
• 1. Pay them in Euros

Oh, yeah -here's this week's cartoon.

John Klossner
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