Government IT News For VARs

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

In the news this week, BlackBerry 10 is approved by the DoD, the former U.S. CTO launches Hunch Analytics, and the U.S. Army is upgrading IT with the capability to share information from sensors and weapons about enemy targets.

BlackBerry 10 Approved By Defense Department

“Full Operational Capability” has been granted to the BlackBerry 10 operating system by the Defense Information Systems Agency. The announcement makes BlackBerry the only vendor to be granted full authority by the agency. InformationWeek reports that one of the key features is BlackBerry Balance, which allows for separation of personal and business data, and also allows users to switch between personal and work profiles. This access builds on BlackBerry’s authority-to-operate certification, which they received in August 2013.

Former U.S. CTO Launches Data And Analytics Startup

According to Government Technology, Aneesh Chopra, Former U.S. CTO, has launched Hunch Analytics — a company dedicated to examining public and private data sets to aid leaders in health, education, and energy. While in office, Chopra was known as a champion of open government and data initiatives.

Software Upgraded For Better Air And Missile Defense

The U.S. Army’s current information architecture lacks the provision to share information from sensors and weapons about enemy targets. The Army is currently working with the tech industry to replace legacy systems with more user-friendly software known as the “common warfighter machine interface to the integrated air and missile defense battle command system.” CIO Review reports that the software is currently in the development stage and is expected to reach initial operating capability by 2018.

Government IT Talking Points

In FedTech Magazine, EMC’s Kyle Keller answers five questions about federal agencies, vendors and the cloud.

• What are the biggest challenges to cloud migration?
• What short-term goals should agencies be targeting?
• What can government learn from the private sector, in terms of cloud?
• What are your thoughts on cloud brokers?
• How can the cloud support other federal initiatives, such as BYOD and telework?

Keller talks leveraging the cloud, virtualization policies, types of cloud brokers and more.

Recent decisions around a California lawsuit raise questions around vendors and cloud computing — especially those with business models that rely heavily on advertising and monetizing user data. Read more in InformationWeek.

For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Government IT Resource Center.