tech update summary from blue mountain data systems november 2017
TRANSCRIPT
Blue MountainData SystemsTech Update
SummaryNovember 2017
For CTOs CIOs amp CISOs
Visit Blue Mountain Data Systems httpswwwbluemtcom
For CTOs CIOs amp CISOs
Every business day we publish a Daily Tech Update for Federal amp State CTOs CIOs amp CISOs on the Blue
Mountain Data Systems Blog We hope you will visit our blog for the latest information
You can also receive these updates via email Click here to subscribe
Herersquos the summary of the Daily Tech Updates for November 2017 Hope the information and ideas
prove useful
Best
Paul Vesely
President and Principal Architect
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Network Security
Network Security
CISO Convincing Employees to Care About Network Security Employees remain the biggest source of corporate cyber risk According to the ldquoIBM X-Force 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Indexrdquo staff members are responsible for 60 percent of all digital attacks endured by enterprises In most cases therersquos no malicious intent Employees may subvert network security by opening infected email attachments falling for well-crafted phishing attacks accessing compromised third-party apps or accidentally posting confidential information on social media sites Read more[SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
For CTOs CIOs amp CISOs
Visit Blue Mountain Data Systems httpswwwbluemtcom
For CTOs CIOs amp CISOs
Every business day we publish a Daily Tech Update for Federal amp State CTOs CIOs amp CISOs on the Blue
Mountain Data Systems Blog We hope you will visit our blog for the latest information
You can also receive these updates via email Click here to subscribe
Herersquos the summary of the Daily Tech Updates for November 2017 Hope the information and ideas
prove useful
Best
Paul Vesely
President and Principal Architect
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Network Security
Network Security
CISO Convincing Employees to Care About Network Security Employees remain the biggest source of corporate cyber risk According to the ldquoIBM X-Force 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Indexrdquo staff members are responsible for 60 percent of all digital attacks endured by enterprises In most cases therersquos no malicious intent Employees may subvert network security by opening infected email attachments falling for well-crafted phishing attacks accessing compromised third-party apps or accidentally posting confidential information on social media sites Read more[SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
For CTOs CIOs amp CISOs
Every business day we publish a Daily Tech Update for Federal amp State CTOs CIOs amp CISOs on the Blue
Mountain Data Systems Blog We hope you will visit our blog for the latest information
You can also receive these updates via email Click here to subscribe
Herersquos the summary of the Daily Tech Updates for November 2017 Hope the information and ideas
prove useful
Best
Paul Vesely
President and Principal Architect
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Network Security
Network Security
CISO Convincing Employees to Care About Network Security Employees remain the biggest source of corporate cyber risk According to the ldquoIBM X-Force 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Indexrdquo staff members are responsible for 60 percent of all digital attacks endured by enterprises In most cases therersquos no malicious intent Employees may subvert network security by opening infected email attachments falling for well-crafted phishing attacks accessing compromised third-party apps or accidentally posting confidential information on social media sites Read more[SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Network Security
Network Security
CISO Convincing Employees to Care About Network Security Employees remain the biggest source of corporate cyber risk According to the ldquoIBM X-Force 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Indexrdquo staff members are responsible for 60 percent of all digital attacks endured by enterprises In most cases therersquos no malicious intent Employees may subvert network security by opening infected email attachments falling for well-crafted phishing attacks accessing compromised third-party apps or accidentally posting confidential information on social media sites Read more[SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Network Security
CISO Convincing Employees to Care About Network Security Employees remain the biggest source of corporate cyber risk According to the ldquoIBM X-Force 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Indexrdquo staff members are responsible for 60 percent of all digital attacks endured by enterprises In most cases therersquos no malicious intent Employees may subvert network security by opening infected email attachments falling for well-crafted phishing attacks accessing compromised third-party apps or accidentally posting confidential information on social media sites Read more[SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Network Security
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Consolidating Federal Networks Could Lead to New Security Holes For years one of the chief aims of the IT modernization movement has been replacing the federal governmentrsquos outdated architecture Before truly tapping into the transformative power of new software and security tools the thinking goes government must first scrap its ancient patchwork networks for a new unified IT infrastructure Read the rest[FCWCOM]
OPINION Why Chipmakers are Taking IoT Security Into Their Own Hands As the IoT and chip industry both continue to grow more chipmakers will come to understand the importance of putting security and privacy first Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Network Security
STATES Federal Government Notifies 21 States of Election Hacking The federal government has told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems before last yearrsquos presidential election The notification came roughly a year after US Department of Homeland Security officials first said states were targeted by hacking efforts possibly connected to Russia The states that told The Associated Press they had been targeted included some key political battlegrounds such as Florida Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin Find out more[USNEWSCOM]
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Encryption
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Encyption
SECURITY How Blockchain Encryption Works Itrsquos All About Math Riot Blockchainrsquos CEO John OrsquoRourke explains how the blockchain encryption mining network works Read more[TECHREPUBLICCOM]
CISO Data Storage and Encryption Should Top the CISOrsquos To-Do List In todayrsquos digitized world data storage and encryption are surely top of mind for most chief information officers (CIOs) But given the increasing regulations and privacy implications surrounding data security these measures should also be on the chief information security officer (CISO)rsquos agenda Get the plugin [SECURITYINTELLIGENCECOM]
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Encyption
DMARC States Should Follow Federal Directive to Enhance Email and Web Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that all federal executive branch agencies implement Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) to improve email security In the same directive DHS also mandated better Web security protections be put into place State and local governments should follow the lead of their federal counterparts and make implementing DMARC a priority Herersquos why Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Encyption
INDUSTRY INSIGHT Donrsquot Leave Your Front Door Open to Attack The web has grown to over 1 billion websites While websites have grown incredibly complex and become a part of our virtual lives most users and website operator are still focused on functionality Arguably there are internet users and website owners concerned about security because of headlines about rampant cyberattacks data leaks and breaches But not all are proactively securing their websites Herersquos why websites can be a treasure trove for attackers Read more[GCNCOM]
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Databases
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Databases
MICROSOFT Enabling Automatic Database Tuning in Azure SQL DB in 2018 Microsoftrsquos automated and AI-enabled database tuning technology will become the new default configuration on the Azure SQL cloud database in January 2018 Read more[EWEEKCOM]
BIG DATA Neo4j Looks Beyond the Graph Database Graph database company Neo4j wants to move beyond providing only its graph database and is working on what it calls a lsquograph platformrsquo to help companies make the most of their data
Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Databases
MySQL Configuring a MySQL Database on Amazon RDS Cloud-based database solutions have really taken off in recent years Although concerns about ownership and security have put a damper on some companiesrsquo aspirations to offload some or all of their database management to a third party the vast majority of companies have embraced the new paradigm and are reaping substantial financial rewards as a result Learn about the different cloud database categories as well as how to configure a MySQL database on the Cloud using Amazon RDS Read more[DATABASEJOURNALCOM]
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Databases
CLOUD Distributed PostgreSQL Settling Into Cloud Organizations that want the scalability of a distributed PostgreSQL database but donrsquot want the hassle of managing it themselves may be interested in the latest news from Citus Data which has unveiled new options for its hosted scale-out relational database Find out more[DATANAMICOM]
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
More About Blue Mountain
BLUE MOUNTAIN DATA SYSTEMS HAS THE EXPERIENCE 1994 to Present ndash US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support Read more
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Federal Tech
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Federal Tech
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APIs Shared Services Can Reshape Modernize Government Technology The size and scope of the federal governmentrsquos information technology landscape only continues to grow and in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to change In the Federal Chief Information Officers Councilrsquos latest study the current state of government IT is described as monolithic And it is not meant as a compliment Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Federal Tech
OPINION Government Efforts to Weaken Privacy are Bad for Business and National Security The federal governmentrsquos efforts to require technology and social media companies to relax product security and consumer privacy standards ndash if successful ndash will ultimately make everyone less safe and secure Read the rest[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
PUBLIC SAFETY Rapid DNA Technology Gives Law Enforcement Access to Your DNA in 90 Minutes Before recently-passed legislation law enforcement agencies had to send DNA samples to government labs and wait for it to get tested which could take days or even weeks Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Federal Tech
MODERNIZATION Making Modernization Happen Now more than ever before comprehensive IT modernization for federal agencies is a real possibility The question that remains is whether President Donald Trumprsquos words and actions during his first months in office will be sustained by the administration and Congress in the months and years ahead Read more[FCWCOM]
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
State Tech
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
State Tech
SURVEY Cybersecurity Concerns May Keep One in Four Americans from Voting Cybersecurity concerns may prevent one in four Americans from heading to the polls in November according to a new survey by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black The company recently conducted a nationwide survey of 5000 eligible US voters to determine whether reports of cyberattacks targeting election-related systems are impacting their trust in the US electoral process The results revealed that nearly half of voters believe the upcoming elections will be influenced by cyberattacks Consequently more than a quarter said they will consider not voting in future elections Read more[HSTODAYUSCOM]
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
State Tech
ALASKA Unique Challenges in IT Consolidation The Last Frontier is centralizing IT operations under Alaskarsquos newly created Office of Information Technology But consolidating IT in a sprawling state like Alaska offers challenges not found in other environments says the statersquos new CIO Bill Vajda Read the rest[GCNCOM]
ALABAMA Acting CIO Jim Purcell Is a Man on a Mission for Smarter State IT Jim Purcell wasnrsquot expecting a call from Alabamarsquos new governor Kay Ivey and he certainly wasnrsquot expecting her to ask him to head up the Office of Information Technology (OIT) ndash but thatrsquos exactly what happened last week Find out more[GOVTECHCOM]
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
State Tech
ILLINOIS Inside a State Digital Transformation Hardik Bhatt CIO of the State of Illinois sought to become the nationrsquos first Smart State ndash a process that required reorganizing its 38 IT departments into one improving government services and finding new sources of innovation to apply to its revenue model Within 18 months Illinois rose in national rankings from the bottom fourth of state governments to the top third Read more[ENTERPRISERSPROJECTCOM]
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Electronic Document Management
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Electronic Document Management
CFPB Looks to Embrace Cloud for Email Office Application Needs The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to move to a public cloud setup for some of its core enterprise apps The financial watchdog agency recently sent out a Request for Information (RFI) on the process technical requirements and costs of moving to cloud services in fiscal year 2017 CFPB wants to establish a more complete understanding on the costs associated with moving fully to a cloud solution for email and office applications (eg documents spreadsheets presentations SharePoint and more)Read the rest[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Electronic Document Management
ROI 4 Ways Business Document Management Software Can Save You Money Lisa Croft Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Document Cloud talks about the many ways business document management can save your company time space and more importantly loads of money Here are the four most obvious ways these tools provide excellent return-on-investment Read more[PCMAGCOM]
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
508 Compliance
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Credit Unions Experiencing an Increase in ADA Lawsuits The number of credit unions hit with lawsuits in recent weeks over the accessibility of their websites continued to climb into double digits and experts warned that even more credit unions could become targets if they donrsquot get up to speed on the issue Read more[CUTIMESCOM]
TESTING TOOL Funkify Accessibility Simulator Funkify is a plugin for Chrome that helps you experience the web and interfaces through the eyes of extreme users with different abilities and disabilities The free demo version helps web developers designers and content creators experience the web through the eyes of people with different abilities Get the plugin [ACCESSIBLEWEBSITESERVICESCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
WCAG 20 Checklists Itrsquos extremely useful to have a WCAG 20 checklist on hand when yoursquore working through the guidelines A WCAG 20 checklist helps you to check your web accessibility progress record how far yoursquove come and set your targets out for the future Find out more[WUHCAGCOM]
WEBSITE AUDITOR The Hot Job Title You Want ldquoThe web accessibility compliance auditor is a field that every computer science and information systems student should think of pursingrdquo says Dr James Logan who is the quality assurance manager for Georgia Institute of Technologyrsquos Enterprise Information Systems ldquoIt really is just an extension of information systems The field has so many opportunities for web developersrdquo Read more[BLACKENGINEERCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
CITIES 3 Easy Steps to City Website Accessibility for WCAG 20 AA Beginning January 18 2018 all federal state and local websites must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 20 AA) adopted as part of updates to existing federal laws governing equal access to government services ndash Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Jurisdictions that do not comply with these guidelines risk lawsuits from private citizens as well as legal action by the Department of Justice which has taken the position that websites offering goods or services to consumers are places of public accommodation and must be accessible to the disabled Here are three key website content areas where agencies can make adjustments to help their customers find and understand the information they need from their local governmentrsquos website ndashregardless of age or disability Read more[EFFICIENTGOVCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
ECOMMERCE Online Retailers Beware Court Holds Website Violates ADA Despite Lack of Physical Store Courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue of website accessibility Last week the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire denied a motion to dismiss filed by online food delivery servicer Blue Apron In denying the motion the court found that Blue Apronrsquos website is a place of public accommodation ndash despite the fact that Blue Apron operates only online and has no traditional brick and mortar locations Read more [LEXOLOGYCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
CAREERS amp WORKPLACE Websites Are the Next Frontier of ADA Compliance While the DOJ continues to delay the rule-making process and the roll out of any final rules companies should beware Federal court lawsuits based on alleged website inaccessibility have spiked since the beginning of 2015 with several hundred filed against a wide spectrum of businesses ndash from retailers to restaurants ndash that provide public accommodation Find out more[BIZJOURNALSCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
LEGAL Location Location Location New Website Accessibility Decision May Encourage Forum Shopping On November 8 2017 the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire joined the ranks of the federal courts that have held that a website itself is a place of public accommodationmdasheven if the business that maintains the website does not own or operate any physical place of public accommodation The defendant in this case operates an online-only business and does not own or operate any traditional brick and mortar locations The websites of such online-only businesses have been subject to increasing attack Read more[NATLAWREVIEWCOM]
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Section 508 Compliance
ONLINE COURSE Digital Accessibility Enabling Participation in the Information Society This course will help you to understand how those with sensory physical and cognitive impairments may be disabled by barriers encountered when using digital technologies The course will highlight how the use of accessible and inclusive design can help overcome many of these difficulties Get the plugin [FUTURELEARNCOM]
PR How PR Firms Need to Navigate Website Compliance Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Herersquos what the ADA means for websites and what PR pros need to know Find out more[PRWEEKCOM]
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Security Patches
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Security Patches
MICROSOFT Thanksgiving Turkeys One Patch Disappears Another Yanked If yoursquore just coming back from the long US Thanksgiving weekend all sorts of Windows patch inanities await The Epson dot matrix bug in this monthrsquos security patches was fixed for older versions of Windows but NET patch KB 4049016 and others got pulled Read more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
REPORT Java Developers Arenrsquot Applying Security Patches Application security vendor Veracode has released the ldquo2017 State of Software Security Reportrdquo and the results paint an unflattering picture of Java developers An alarming 88 percent of Java applications contain at least one vulnerable component the reportrsquos authors found Why Developers donrsquot patch components in production once vulnerabilities are found and new versions of those components are released Get the plugin [ADTMAGCOM]
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Security Patches
WORDPRESS Patches SQL Injection Bug in Security Release A bug discovered in WordPress allows attackers to trigger an SQL injection attack leading to complete website hijacking The vulnerability CVE-2017-14723 was discovered in the WordPress content management system (CMS) versions 482 and below Webmasters should update immediately to prevent website takeovers Find out more[ZDNETCOM]
INTEL Patches Management Engine for Critical Vulnerabilities Intel issued a critical firmware update on Nov 20 for a set of eight vulnerabilities that impact the Intel Management Engine firmware ldquoIn response to issues identified by external researchers Intel has performed an in-depth comprehensive security review of our Intel Management Engine (ME) Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and Intel Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) with the objective of enhancing firmware resiliencerdquo Intel stated in an advisory Read more
[EWEEKCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
CIO CTO amp CISO
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
For the CIO CTO amp CISO
CIO Interview with Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon While it may seem more straightforward for technology-oriented companies to continue accelerating their digital transformations they face the same challenges as any other Alin DrsquoSilva Vice President of IT and CTO of Digital Workplace at Verizon shares his thoughts on some of those challenges and what motivates him to drive forward Read more[CIOCOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
CIO CTO amp CISO
CTO Tom Eck CTO Industry Platforms IBM Sweet Talks Fintech Despite the burgeoning fintech startup market the broader financial services market struggles to engage Financial institutions want to move with the agility of a fintech but without lsquobreaking the bankrsquo says Tom Eck global chief technology officer of industry platforms at IBMAccording to Eck IBM financial services clients are keen to experiment and get products to market fast but they donrsquot have the freedom to make certain types of mistakes Read the rest[DIGINOMICACOM]
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
CIO CTO amp CISO
CISO An 18F for Cyber DHS CISO Wants One Department of Homeland Security CISO Jeff Eisensmith wants the federal government to establish a team of cybersecurity experts akin to the General Services Administrationrsquos 18F digital service team Find out more[FEDSCOOPCOM]
INTERVIEW Nordic CIO interview Filippa Jennersjouml Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency The CIO at Swedenrsquos Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departmentsrsquo digital developments Read more[COMPUTERWEEKLYCOM]
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Penetration Testing
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Whitehouse Renews Call for Cyber IG Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is looking to establish a cybersecurity inspector general with the authority to probe federal networks for weaknesses A cyber IG Whitehouse argues would be a way to recruit cybersecurity experts who would prefer to focus on penetration testing and other white hat activities rather than toil in one of the more than 70 IG offices around government Read more[FCWCOM]
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Penetration Testing
IoT Security For Embedded Electronics One of the biggest challenges for embedded devices and systems especially those employed in the Internet of Things is adequately protecting them from increasingly sophisticated hacking This is a new tool for criminal enterprises and a very lucrative one because it can be done remotely with little fear of being caught Even when hackers are caught they rarely are prosecuted which has not gone unnoticed by criminal enterprises A lack of reprisal has allowed them to recruit some of the best and brightest programmers Read more [SEMIENGINEERINGCOM]
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Penetration Testing
ELECTIONS Senator Calls on Voting Machine Makers to Detail How Theyrsquoll Prevent Hacks One of the Senatersquos main cybersecurity proponents wants assurances that voting systems in the US are ready for their next major threat and hersquos going straight to the hardware makers to get it In a letter Oregon Senator Ron Wyden mdash an outspoken member of the Senate Intelligence Committee mdash called on six of the main voting machine manufacturers in the US to provide details about their cybersecurity efforts to date The request comes on the heels of emerging details around Russiarsquos successful attempts to hack election systems in many states Find out more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Penetration Testing
COMMUNICATIONS Secure Communications Across Radio and Cell Networks To help eliminate the communications problems that plague first responders Lockheed Martin has teamed with Blue Cedar to enable secure communications across multiple devices Also intended for military or remote users Lockheedrsquos Universal Communications Platform (UCP) hub bridges communications across land mobile radios voice-over-IP smartphones and other networks allowing interoperability between multiple types of secure radio and cellular communications The UCP Communicator app can be downloaded to commercial smartphones expanding secure communications to users without access to radio equipment Read more[GCNCOM]
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Open Source
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Open Source
BUSINESS Giving Open-Source Projects Life After a Developerrsquos Death Yoursquove probably never heard of the late Jim Weirich or his software But yoursquove almost certainly used apps built on his work Weirich helped create several key tools for Ruby the popular programming language used to write the code for sites like Hulu Kickstarter Twitter and countless others His code was open source meaning that anyone could use it and modify it ldquoHe was a seminal member of the western worldrsquos Ruby communityrdquo says Justin Searls a Ruby developer and co-founder of the software company Test Double When Weirich died in 2014 Searls noticed that no one was maintaining one of Weirichrsquos software-testing tools That meant there would be no one to approve changes if other developers submitted bug fixes security patches or other improvements Any tests that relied on the tool would eventually fail as the code became outdated and incompatible with newer tech Read more[WIREDCOM]
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Open Source
OPEN STACK Next Mission ndash Bridging the Gaps Between Open Source Projects OpenStack the massive open source project that provides large businesses with the software tools to run their data center infrastructure is now almost eight years old While it had its ups and downs hundreds of enterprises now use it to run their private clouds and there are even over two dozen public clouds that use the projectrsquos tools Users now include the likes of ATampT Walmart eBay China Railway GE Healthcare SAP Tencent and the Insurance Australia Group to name just a few Read the rest[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
REPORT Open Source Software Projects are Maturing Electronic design automation company Synopsys released the findings of its 2017 Coverity Scan Report which shows an increased of ldquoproject maturityrdquo in the over 4600 open source software projects analyzed based on certain secure development strategies Find out more [SDTIMESCOM]
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Open Source
FEDERAL NEWS How One Contractor Belittled the White Housersquos IT Modernization Strategy The White House is busily reviewing more than 90 comments on its draft IT modernization strategy The comments came from industry associations specific companies and individuals including federal employees and most were pretty vanilla offering basic support for the initiatives in the draft strategy and insights both generally and specific to the organizationsrsquo or vendorsrsquo area of expertise But none was more fascinating then the flames Oracle decided to throw about the entire IT modernization effort over the last nine years Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Business Intelligence
READ 12 Ways to Empower Government Users with the Microsoft Business Intelligence (MBI) Stack Are your organizationrsquos Federal IT resources under constant pressure with no end in sight Your agency is not alone With limited access to dedicated information technology resources non-technical end users often play the waiting game relying on IT staff to do simple tasks like generating custom queries and embedding them within applications Your departmentrsquos need to generate on demand ad hoc reports gets pushed to the back burner while IT resources respond to more pressing matters Implementing a self-service approach alleviates your IT staff from such tasks affording them more time to focus on solving high impact problems Read more[BLUEMTCOM]
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Business Intelligence
REPORT 2017 State Of Business Intelligence And Predictive Analytics Insights gained from interviews with Dresner Advisory Servicersquos research community of over 3000 organizations in addition to vendor customer community interviews 57 of respondents are from North America 31 from Europe the Middle East amp Africa with the remaining 12 from Asia-Pacific (8) and Latin America (4) For additional details regarding the methodology please see page 11 of the study Industry interest in advanced and predictive analytics grew sharply in 2017 with business intelligence experts business analysts and statisticiansdata scientists being the most prevalent early adopters Click here for key takeaways [FORBESCOM]
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Business Intelligence
READ Business Intelligence vs Business Analytics Where BI Fits Into Your Data Strategy While BI leverages past and present data to describe the state of your business today business analytics mines data to predict where your business is heading and prescribe actions to maximize beneficial outcomes Find out more[CIOCOM]
US GOVT FINANCE 11 Ways to Speed Up Government Procurement Buying with public money is difficult by design but are there fair ways to fix it Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Operating Systems
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Operating Systems
NEWS All Operating Systems Are Susceptible to This WiFi Attack With so many consumers relying on mobile devices these days it is no surprise criminals continue to look for new ways to take advantage A new exploit recently uncovered by researchers shows how assailants can read WiFi-based traffic between devices Around 41 of all current Android devices are susceptible to such an exploit This issue goes well beyond mobile devices although Linux-based devices are most prone to attack Read more[THEMERKLECOM]
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Operating Systems
APPLE Operating Systems Vulnerable to Password Theft Apple released a new macOS operating system Monday but already security experts are saying it is vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that puts usersrsquo passwords at risk Read the rest[CONSUMERAFFAIRSCOM]
MICROSOFT Has Already Fixed the Wi-Fi Attack Vulnerability Microsoft says it has already fixed the problem for customers running supported versions of Windows ldquoWe have released a security update to address this issuerdquo says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge ldquoCustomers who apply the update or have automatic updates enabled will be protected We continue to encourage customers to turn on automatic updates to help ensure they are protectedrdquo Microsoft says the Windows updates released on October 10th protect customers and the company ldquowithheld disclosure until other vendors could develop and release updatesrdquo Find out more
[THEVERGECOM]
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Operating Systems
DHS Mandates New Security Standards for Federal Networks The Department of Homeland Security is requiring agencies to use new email and web security guidelines that address man-in-the-middle attacks A binding operational directive from DHS gives federal agencies 90 days to implement a pair of tools Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) and STARTTLS DMARC is an email authentication tool designed to prevent email spoofing and provide data on where a forgery may have originated STARTTLS helps protect against passive man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing for email encryption while data is in transit The directive also requires agencies to switch all publicly accessible federal websites to HTTPS and HSTS-secure connections within 120 days Doing so could potentially eliminate a large swath of security flaws that affect most federal government websites Find out more[FCWCOM]
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
BYOD
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
BYOD
SURVEY The Evolution of BYOD Security in a Mobile-First World Bitglassrsquo research team surveyed 200 IT and security professionals at a national Gartner conference to learn more about the evolution of BYOD security in a mobile-first world According to the research one in four organizations lack some form of multi-factor authentication when securing BYOD which is consistent with well-known enterprise security gaps Using compromised passwords to control access and single-factor authentication has resulted in several high-profile data breaches in recent months Enterprises have since turned to technology as a means of solving the secure identity management challenge Read more[HELPNETSECURITYCOM]
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
BYOD
SECURITY Quarter of Firms Allow Password-Only BYOD Security Over a quarter (28) of organizations rely solely on user-generated passwords to secure BYOD potentially exposing countless endpoints to credential guessing cracking and theft Read more [INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
MESSAGING The Risks of Messaging Apps in BYOD Are using messaging apps adding another layer of risk to your business information Quite possibly according to research from Infinite Convergence Solutions and 451 Research Thatrsquos because employees are using unsecure messaging applications to communicate with each other with nearly three in four employees using consumer messaging apps for business purposes Yet nearly two-thirds of organizations have done nothing to create security policies around their use Find out more[ITBUSINESSEDGECOM]
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
BYOD
READ Hackers Reveal Leading Enterprise Security Blind Spots When it comes to cybersecurity hackers said mobile devices are a critical blind spot This is unsurprising considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies which connect unknown mobile devices OS versions and patch processes to corporate networks Read more[ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Incident Response
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Incident Response
NIST How to Recover from Cyber Incidents in Government What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184 titled lsquoGuide for Cybersecurity Event Recoveryrsquo Herersquos an exclusive interview with one of the authors Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
AUSTRALIA Government Reveals Draft Digital Identity Framework A series of documents outlining the security and usability standards by which Australiansrsquo digital identity information is to be collected stored and used has been released by the government Read more [ZDNETCOM]
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Incident Response
CYBERSECURITY How to Fix Information Sharing According to Industry Secret cyber threat data and a clunky clearance process are barriers to bidirectional information sharing industry representatives told the House Homeland Security Committeersquos Cybersecurity and Infrastructure subcommittee on Nov 16 Find out moreFCWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Top 17 State amp Local Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch Herersquos a cross-section of governmentrsquos best state and local cybersecurity talent assembled through StateScooprsquos own stories and reporting from the recommendations of leaders across the state and local government technology industry and by the suggestions of nonprofits and associations across the space Read more[STATESCOOPCOM]
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cybersecurity
MICROSOFT A Pictorial Walk-Through Of Microsoftrsquos New Cybersecurity Tools Cybersecurity should be on every personrsquos mind in 2017 and certainly every lawyerrsquos Herersquos whyhellipRead more[ABOVETHELAWCOM]
FEDERAL GOVT US Government Cybersecurity Lags Behind That of a Fast Food Joint Say Analysts The American federal government and countless state and local governments throughout the US are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than your local McDonaldrsquos A new study ranking the cybersecurity of 18 industries ldquopaints a grim picturerdquo with the US government 16th when it comes to protecting its computer systems and data from hackers Read the rest[NEWSWEEKCOM]
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cybersecurity
DATA The Piece of Cybersecurity Feds Can No Longer Ignore The Trump administration needs to work with Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Securityrsquos Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program Find out more[FEDTECHMAGAZINECOM]
STATE amp LOCAL GOVERNMENT Annual Cybersecurity Review for State and Local Government Approaches Non-federal agencies still ride low on the maturity benchmark but the increased political attention around cybersecurity could improve results in the coming survey period Find out more about the study results[STATESCOOPCOM]
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Management
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Management
READ All Management Is Change Management Change management is having its moment Therersquos no shortage of articles books and talks on the subject But many of these indicate that change management is some occult subspecialty of management something thatrsquos distinct from ldquomanagingrdquo itself This is curious given that when you think about it all management is the management of change Read more[HBRORG]
NARA Improvements Seen in Federal Records Management but lsquoThere is Work to be Donersquo Compliance collaboration and accountability are the themes of the National Archivesrsquo recommendations to agencies for improving how they handle paper ndash and electronic ndash trails Thatrsquos according to NARArsquos 2016 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Management
FINANCIAL Washington Statersquos Strategy for Tracking IT Spending The state of Washingtonrsquos first efforts to bring technology business management to its IT spending practices began in 2010 when the legislature mandated annual reports and specific evaluation requirements for investments As interest grew in monitoring the cost of IT along with the business services IT provides officials in the Washingtonrsquos Office of the CIO worked to refine the strategy through the creation of a state TBM program Find out more[GCNCOM]
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Management
HR A Blueprint for Improving Governmentrsquos HR Function Government at its core is its employees and their commitment to serve the country That fact is too often overlooked While technology enables employees to make better faster decisions until artificial intelligence replaces the acquired knowledge of employees agency performance will continue to depend on the skill and dedication of government workers As such civil service reform is increasingly important because workforce rules and regulations are out of sync with current management thinking To use a basketball analogy government is still shooting two handed set shots Read more[GOVEXECCOM]
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Application Development
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Application Development
INDUSTRY INSIGHT 4 Steps to Agile Success Therersquos a noticeable shift toward agile development taking place within the federal government Driven by a need for accelerated application development and meeting internal customersrsquo needs on the very first attempt agencies like the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security have begun to move away from traditional waterfall project management frameworks and toward iterative agile frameworks like scrum Read more[GCNCOM]
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Application Development
IT MODERNIZATION 3 Strategies for Building Successful Agile Teams Is the federal government truly ready to embrace agile software development Successful agile environments do not start with technology they start with creating the right team This can be harder than it may first appear because agile challenges preconceived norms of how federal IT teams should be structured and the way they approach projects Agile teams are typically a combination of individual contributors (particularly those from development and quality assurance backgrounds) who rarely work together but must now collaborate to achieve common goals Read the rest[NEXTGOVCOM]
ENTERPRISE Air Force Intelligence Unit Goes Agile The US Air Force is determined to get more agile to produce applications that can be useful in times of conflict Find out more[INFORMATIONWEEKCOM]
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Application Development
PEOPLE amp CAREERS Sloughing Off the Government Stereotypes What are CIOs doing to lure millennials into government IT Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thatrsquos about to decimate their ranks But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind Read more[GOVTECHCOM]
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Big Data
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Big Data
PREDICTIONS 10 Predictions For AI Big Data And Analytics in 2018 A new Forrester Research report Predictions 2018 The Honeymoon For AI Is Over predicts that in 2018 enterprises will finally move beyond the hype to recognize that AI requires hard workmdashplanning deploying and governing it correctly Read more[FORBESCOM]
READ How ldquoBig Datardquo Went Bust Barack Obamarsquos White House launched a $200 million national big data initiative and the frenzy commenced Academia nonprofits governments and companies raced to figure out just what ldquobig datardquo was and how they could capitalize on it The frenzy as it turned out was short-lived Read more [SLATECOM]
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Big Data
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT One Big Risk With Big Data Format Lock-In Insider threat programs and other long-term Big Data projects demand users take a longer view than is necessary with most technologies If the rapid development of new technologies over the past three decades has taught us anything itrsquos that each successive new technology will undoubtedly be replaced by another Find out more[GOVTECHWORKSCOM]
STATE GOVERNMENT Fearing Hackers States Start Buying Cyber-Insurance As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves ndash and taxpayers Read more[GOVERNINGCOM]
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Personal Tech
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Personal Tech
DOWNLOADS Resolutions for the Big (and Small) Screens When it comes to streaming and downloading movies find out the difference between standard definition and the high-definition versions Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
TECH TRAVEL Checking Voice Mail While Abroad Find out how to check voice mail on a smartphone when traveling in Europe Read more [NYTIMESCOM]
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Personal Tech
STAY ALERT Technology Can Be A Threat To Your Physical Safety Discover the personal safety habits you can practice to stay safe at home and on the go Find out more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Schedule Your Smartphone for a Little Peace and Quiet Have you signed up for alerts from a bunch of news sites on your iPhone to keep up with the headlines but now theyrsquore waking you up at night with their sounds and turning on the phone screen Find out how to mute the noises and phone screen light before bed without turning off the phonersquos alarm clock Read more[NYTIMESCOM]
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Mobile Applications
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Mobile
ANDROIDS Millions of Android Apps at Risk from Eavesdropper Vulnerability Poor mobile app development practices have created the Eavesdropper vulnerability which has resulted in a large-scale data exposure from nearly 700 apps in enterprise mobile environments over 170 of which are live in the official app stores today Read more[INFOSECURITY-MAGAZINECOM]
iPHONE X 10 Popular Mobile Apps Optimized for Applersquos iPhone X The new iPhone X presents a problem and an opportunity for mobile application developers Read more [EWEEKCOM]
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Mobile
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IT and lsquoCitizen Developersrsquo Partner on Mobile Apps and More With low-code and no-code tools ordinary business users can quickly and easily spin up new apps or add features and functions but IT oversight is crucial Find out more[COMPUTERWORLDCOM]
HEALTH CARE Mobile Apps ndash The Future of Cancer Care From anxiety and pain self-management to side effect monitoring in clinical trials mobile applications are revolutionizing oncology Researchers say the technology is even transforming clinical trials themselves Read more[CANCERTHERAPYADVISORCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
PERL The Most Hated Programming Language What do computer programmers not want to code in Perl the Old Spice of programming languages is the most disliked by a significant margin reports Stack Overflow Delphi used by children to write viruses for adults and Visual Basic used by adults to write games for children are running neck-and-neck for second place Read more[BOINGBOINGNET]
JAVASCRIPT At GitHub JavaScript Rules in Usage TensorFlow Leads in Forks Python and TypeScript makes big gains in pull requests while Java slips to third place Read the rest[INFOWORLDCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ANDROID Kotlin Expected to Surpass Java as Android Default Programming Language for Apps A new report released earlier this week estimates that Kotlinwill surpass Java as the primary programming language used for Android apps by December 2018 Until earlier this year Kotlin was a little-known programming language [1 2] that was built to run on the Java Virtual Machine but one that could also be compiled to JavaScript and could interoperate with Java The programming language got a serious boost in the developer community when Google officially announced earlier this year at the Google IO 2017 conference that Kotlin will become the first third-party supported programming language for Android apps besides Java Find out more[BLEEPINGCOMPUTERCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
MICROSOFT Azure Functions Adds Support for Java Azure Functions Microsoftrsquos platform for building serverless applications has long supported a variety of programming languages but itrsquos adding an important one today Java Fittingly the company made this announcement at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco Read more[TECHCRUNCHCOM]
JAVASCRIPT Whatrsquos New in TypeScript 26 TypeScript 26 introduces a new strict checking flag error suppression comments and ldquominorrdquo breaking changes Read more[INFOWORLDCOM]
SURVEY Most Loathed Programming Language Herersquos How Developers Cast Their Votes Developers on Stack Overflow really donrsquot want to work in Perl and donrsquot like Microsoft much either Read more
[ZDNETCOM]
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Programming amp Scripting Development Client amp Server-Side
ENTERPRISE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT What is TypeScript Industrial-strength JavaScript JavaScript is the language of the web but itrsquos tough to manage for enterprise-scale development TypeScript offers an attractive alternative Read more [ARNNETCOMAU]
INTERVIEW QampA with Java Chair Heather VanCura As the current Chair Heather VanCura leads the activities of the JCP Program Office manages its organizationrsquos membership guides spec leads and experts through the process leads the Executive Committee (EC) meetings and manages the JCPorg Web site Read her insights on the future of Java development Find out more[ADTMAGCOM]
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cloud Computing
TOP 5 CLOUD-COMPUTING VENDORS 1 Microsoft 2 Amazon 3 IBM 4 Salesforce 5 SAP As businesses move beyond cloud experiments to deeply strategic deployments the balance of power in the Cloud Wars Top 10 is shifting toward those tech providers that can move those business customers past the infrastructure phase and into the high-value realm of AI-driven competitive advantage Read more[FORBESCOM]
HOW TO Build a Business Case for Cloud Computing When planning a migration to the cloud what do you need to take into account Click here for key takeaways [ZDNETCOM]
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Cloud Computing
ALLIANCE Salesforce and Google Forge Alliance in Cloud Computing Race Emergence of handful of dominant platforms forces others to seek allies Find out more[FTCOM]
TRENDS 5 Cloud Computing Trends to Prepare for in 2018 As we enter the last quarter of 2017 business and IT executives are turning more of their attention to how they can use technology to accomplish their 2018 business objectives Herersquos a list of five trends in cloud computing that strategic businesses will prepare for in the coming year Read more[NETWORKWORLDCOM]
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Announcement
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Announcement
Blue Mountain Data Systems DOL Contract Extended Another Six MonthsThe Department of Labor has extended Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc contract DOLOPS16C0017 for 6 months for network administration and application support
US Dept of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration1994 to Present Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Security | Cybersecurity
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Security | Cybersecurity
SECURITY 5 Things You Need to Know About the Future of Cybersecurity Terrorism researchers AI developers government scientists threat-intelligence specialists investors and startups gathered at the second annual WIRED conference to discuss the changing face of online security These are the people who are keeping you safe online Their discussions included Daeshrsquos media strategy the rise of new forms of online attacks how to protect infrastructure the threat of pandemics and the dangers of hiring a nanny based on her Salvation Army uniform Read more[WIREDCOUK]
IT MANAGEMENT Top 5 Cybersecurity Mistakes IT Leaders Make and How to Fix Them Cybersecurity teams are largely understaffed and underskilled Herersquos how to get the most out of your workers and keep your business safe Read more [TECHREPUBLICCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Security | Cybersecurity
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Rep Hurd Champions Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity The federal government is and will continue to be a target of cyber crimes According to the Identity Theft Resource Center US companies and government agencies suffered a total of 1093 data breaches in 2016 Mid-year numbers for 2017 show 791 incidents as of the end of June ndash a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2016 With that said is the government doing enough to prepare for cyber threats On this episode of CyberChat host Sean Kelley former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer and former Veterans Affairs Department deputy chief information officer spoke with Rep Will Hurd (R-Texas) about initiatives to modernize the federal cybersecurity space Read more[FEDERALNEWSRADIOCOM]
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
IT Security | Cybersecurity
STATE GOVERNMENT To Simplify Cybersecurity Regulations State Groups Ask Federal Government for Help A letter to the Office of Management and Budget says that todayrsquos regulatory environment ldquohampersrdquo states in their pursuit of cost savings and IT optimization Find out moreSTATESCOOPCOM]
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-29-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
Business Intelligencehttpswwwbluemtcombusiness-intelligence-daily-tech-update-september-15-2017
Mobile Applicationshttpswwwbluemtcommobile-applications-daily-tech-update-september-11-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Personal Techhttpswwwbluemtcompersonal-tech-daily-tech-update-september-28-2017
Databaseshttpswwwbluemtcomdatabases-daily-tech-update-september-21-2017
Penetration Testinghttpswwwbluemtcompenetration-testing-daily-tech-update-september-26-2017
Incident Responsehttpswwwbluemtcomincident-response-daily-tech-update-september-14-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Patcheshttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-patches-daily-tech-update-september-22-2017
Operating Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomoperating-systems-daily-tech-update-september-20-2017
Encryptionhttpswwwbluemtcomencryption-daily-tech-update-september-19-2017
Cloud Computinghttpswwwbluemtcomcloud-computing-daily-tech-update-september-18-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Open Sourcehttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
CTO CIO and CISOhttpswwwbluemtcomcio-cto-ciso-daily-tech-update-september-6-2017
Programming amp Scriptinghttpswwwbluemtcomprogramming-scripting-daily-tech-update-september-5-2017
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Security Risks Most Prevalent in Younger Workershttpswwwbluemtcomsecurity-risks-most-prevalent-in-younger-workers
The Security Worldrsquos Maturationhttpswwwbluemtcomthe-security-worlds-maturation
Data Breach Concerns Keep CISOs Up At Nighthttpswwwbluemtcomdata-breach-concerns-keep-cisos-up-at-night
Personalized Govt Equals Instant Gratification for Citizenshttpswwwbluemtcompersonalized-govt-equals-instant-gratification-for-citizens
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
People-Centric Securityhttpswwwbluemtcompeople-centric-security
Pentagon Tries BYOD To Strike WorkLife Balancehttpswwwbluemtcompentagon-tries-byod-to-strike-worklife-balance
Open Source Model Considered for MS Windowshttpswwwbluemtcomopen-source-model-considered-for-ms-windows
Open Internet To Be or Not to Behttpswwwbluemtcomopen-internet-to-be-or-not-to-be
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Malware Stays A Step Ahead Infecting One Third of Websiteshttpswwwbluemtcommalware-stays-a-step-ahead-infecting-one-third-of-websites
Machine-Generated Data Potential Goldmine for the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcommachine-generated-data-potential-goldmine-for-the-cio
Government Legacy Programs Reuse vs Replacementhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernment-legacy-programs-reuse-vs-replacement
It Takes a Whole Village to Protect Networks and Systemshttpswwwbluemtcomit-takes-a-whole-village-to-protect-networks-and-systems
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
From the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog
Governance For the CIOhttpswwwbluemtcomgovernance-for-the-cio
Help Desk Consolidation ndash Lessons Learnedhttpswwwbluemtcomhelp-desk-consolidation-lessons-learned
One Year Later Companies Still Vulnerable to Heartbleedhttpswwwbluemtcomone-year-later-companies-still-vulnerable-to-heartbleed
Federal Projects Cultivate Worker Passionhttpswwwbluemtcomfederal-projects-cultivate-worker-passion-2
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
ABOUT US
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc
Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc is dedicated to application and systems development electronic document management IT security support and the automation of workflow processes
Read more about our experience heregtgt httpbluemtcomexperience
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
Recent Experience
US Dept of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration
1994 to Present
Responsible to the Office of Technology and Information Systems for information systems architecture planning applications development networking administration and IT security supporting the enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act mdash ERISA Within the EBSA Blue Mountain is responsible for design development and support for its various enforcement database management systems as well as all case tracking and customer service inquiry systems Blue Mountain also provides IT security services to the EBSA in the form of FISMA Assessment and Authorization System Security Plans Risk and vulnerability assessments monitoring and investigation support
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
MANAGEMENT
Paul T VeselyFounder President CEO and Principal Architect
Mr Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions Mr Veselyrsquos history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry with Unisys Grumman PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom
CONTACT US
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project
HEADQUARTERS
366 Victory DriveHerndon VA 20170
PHONE 703-502-3416
FAX 703-745-9110
paulbluemtcom
WEB
httpswwwbluemtcom