Technically News – 5/2

Technically News scans thousands of industry articles to present you with a weekly source of IT news, information, and ideas that impact the public sector.


Buzzword Engineering, or The Curse of Nicholas Carr

Every hear the term “buzzword-engineering”? If not, GCN published a takedown of the practice, pointing out the abundance of “pseudo-engineering” found in IT government meetings. He blames Nicholas Carr’s 2005 book, “Does IT Matter?” Find out here.

DHS Says Stop Using Internet Explorer

While web designers and developers have longed wished to see people stop using Internet Explorer, this week they found another ally: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Due to a recently discovered zero-day exploit found in the browser, the DHS has joined many in putting a halt to its use. Microsoft is working on a fix. Read why it’s so critical here.

Tech Council Blasts IT Acquisition Report

The larger cybersecurity battle of “whose fault” wages and the Information Technology Industry Council and its Information Technology Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS) division joined in after a recent GSA/Pentagon report on contractor cybersecurity baselines. Read their comments here.

FBI warns Healthcare of Vulnerability to Cyberattacks

Though we’ve reported on this before, a recent FBI warning to the healthcare industry has prompted us to bring it up again: the healthcare industry is vulnerable to serious cyberattacks. "The healthcare industry is not as resilient to cyber intrusions compared to the financial and retail sectors, therefore the possibility of increased cyber intrusions is likely," a private notice said. Read more at Fierce Health IT.

Pentagon Plays Catch-Up with Cloud Computing

The Pentagon may be a hive of data activity, but it’s lagging behind its civilian agency counterparts in cloud computing. The Defense Department has spent only $750 million on cloud contracts since 2009, far below the $21 billion by other departments and agencies. Read more here.