FederalBiz Newsletter November-December 2007

Keep your finger on the pulse. Read about the issues facing federal IT leaders and how technology is being used to help improve government efficiency and effectiveness. Subscribe Now.

Connected Government in Action

Ingredients for Risk
Management: People,
Processes, and Technology

What is your agency's risk tolerance?
In this article by John Stewart, vice president and chief security officer at Cisco, risk tolerance is defined as what the organization requires, the culture allows, and the individual does. The three factors are not always in harmony, as when agency policy forbids copying files onto USB drives, but the agency culture is to not hold individuals accountable if they do it anyway. Agencies manage risk most effectively when they foster an awareness of risk management in employees, embed security in all of their processes, and regularly review security data to make data-driven decisions about technology investments. More

The State of Federal Government Information Security, 2007

Federal IT decision makers are more concerned about information security than they were in 2006, despite spending more time on security requirements, according to a Cisco survey conducted in September 2007. The respondents, who represent more than 30 federal agencies and all branches of the military, said that what kept them up at night were bots and spyware. The survey also revealed that one of the biggest barriers to information security is the lack of integration among an agency's existing security devices, which work well independently, but do not play together. More

Unified Communications Shared Services:
Easier Collaboration, Enhanced COOP, Lower Costs

Eliminating areas of cross-agency redundancy—from payroll processes to communications services—can help to improve operational efficiency, enhance continuity of operations (COOP), reduce costs, and improve the constituent experience. Among the shared services with the biggest impact is shared unified communications services, used for voice, video, and Web collaboration. When multiple government groups share unified communications services, employees in any location can quickly access the people, tools, and content they need to make informed decisions—regardless of where the resources are located. Ease of collaboration with other agencies also supports COOP during disasters by connecting those who know with those who need to know. More

Keep Up to Date with Cisco

Cisco TelePresence—New Interoperability Capability

As a breakthrough technology for remote meetings, Cisco TelePresence integrates rich audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver an immersive in-person meeting experience—over an IP network. The use of innovative audio and video technology makes it possible for Cisco TelePresence users to communicate as naturally as they would in person. Every expression, gesture, and nuance is clearly visible; across town or across time zones. Cisco TelePresence plays a strategic role in speeding the pace of decision making and bolstering productivity.

In early December, Cisco announced the ability to bring existing standards-based videoconferencing sessions and Cisco video telephony devices into a Cisco TelePresence meeting. This will provide interoperability with virtually all standards-based videoconferencing systems installed today. Agencies can now collaborate with other agencies via secure networks, converging TelePresence onto the pure IP backbones that connect the federal government’s data today. Learn More

If you are interested in experiencing Cisco TelePresence and conducting your own agency or department meeting using any of more than 100 Cisco TelePresence locations worldwide, visit www.ciscomeetingonus.com to schedule a meeting.

IPv6 Webcast Series

To help make your agency's transition to IPv6 as smooth and effective as possible, Cisco is producing a series of IPv6 Webcasts. These Webcasts are designed to help you meet the federal mandate for transition and to help you understand how you can take advantage of the benefits that IPv6 offers. Cisco speakers with expert knowledge on many different elements will:

Share with you Cisco's IPv6 transition plan and provide best practices for your own transition
Demonstrate some applications that will take advantage of IPv6 and provide you with examples of how IPv6 will benefit your agency
Give you a specific example of how IPv6 will enable the transition to a school of the future

The first Webcast is scheduled for December 13, 2007. Please join us and learn how Cisco can help your agency both transition smoothly and benefit from the IPv6government mandate. Register Now

IPv6 Survey—Win a Flash Drive

Participate in the 2007 survey on Federal IPv6 transition plans and implementation, conducted by Market Connections Inc. and sponsored by Cisco. Be one of the first 50 qualified participants and receive a free 256 MB Flash drive (to qualify, you must be a government employee and involved in the recommendation or evaluation of IPv6 products). Go Now