Jan 13, 2021
This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and subscribe to the Reveal podcast, produced with PRX, at revealnews.org/podcast.
First, it was a series of problems with government-issued technology in the field. Then it was a wave of complaints about duplicative work, arbitrary terminations and haphazard management practices.
Now, Census Bureau workers from across the country claim that efforts to speed up and streamline the count generated major confusion – and, in some areas, may have reduced data quality.
By Robert St. Ledger
Jan 12, 2021
Those who work for a small to mid-sized city or county may have thought digital transformation was meant for bigger metropolitan governments with deeper pockets, but nothing could be further from the truth.
In a year when municipalities have spent every day keeping their communities safe in a global health and economic crisis, software upgrades may not be at the top of the priority list. A reliable, up-to-date IT backbone, though, can be the price of entry for:
Delivering the services citizens and stakeholders expect.
Maximizing the efficiency of day-to-day operations.
Ensuring that employees have the tools, information and support they need to succeed.
By Stephanie Kanowitz
Jan 12, 2021
Thousands of caseworkers at Maryland’s Department of Human Services (DHS) are using a single cloud-based platform to eliminate silos and better serve beneficiaries of child, juvenile and adult assistance.
Child, Juvenile and Adult Management Services (CJAMS) is part of the state’s Total Human-services Integrated Network (MD THINK), the country’s first cloud-based shared services platform for health and human services. MD THINK provides a holistic view of residents receiving benefits from multiple agencies, including Maryland’s Health Department, Juvenile Services Department and the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.
“Our goal is to reduce redundant data entry, but you will be able to maintain the same level of data integrity,” said DHS CTO Subramanian Muniasamy. Previously, caseworkers processing child welfare, Office of Licensing and Monitoring, and Juvenile Services applications had to log into three separate systems the Marylan
The Agency for International Development is looking cost-effective remote sensing solutions to keep tabs on humanitarian aid as it travels from its source to its destination.
By GCN Staff
Jan 11, 2021
Federal IT staff have a massive job ahead of them cleaning up after the rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol building, some of whom rifled through lawmakers offices.
While improving physical security for the building and for lawmakers and staff who work there is the first priority, experts have said the rioters’ unprecedented access to offices, files and computers can have serious cybersecurity ramifications.
In some instances, IT equipment was stolen. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said a laptop was taken off a conference table in his office, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) staff also reported the theft of a laptop. A desktop in Pelosi’s office that was left on and unsecured allowed the rioters to read the staffer’s email and take photos of the PC’s screen.