In its fiscal 2012 budget, the Obama Administration requested the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s receive $43.4 million for cybersecurity programs, an increase that would more than double the funding for NIST research and development programs in this area, according to NIST officials.
via NIST budget request could bolster cybersecurity initiatives — Federal Computer Week.
Microsoft also said it was close to getting FISMA certification for its BPOS services. It has already achieved the certification for its data centers and expects to complete the process for the applications within a month or so
via Microsoft Fights Google for Government Dollars – PCWorld Business Center.
Half of U.S. government Web sites are vulnerable to commonplace DNS attacks because they haven’t deployed a new authentication mechanism that was mandated in 2008, a new study shows.
via Half of federal Web sites fail DNS security test.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a draft of its guidelines for implementing enterprisewide information risk management. The document defines the underlying principles for implementing the Federal Information Security Management Act.
via FISMA capstone document released by NIST — Government Computer News.
Google is claiming that it was not given a chance to bid on a cloud-computing project for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for which the contract was awarded to rival Microsoft.
via Google says it was cut off from USDA project bid | Business Tech – CNET News.
One out of every two IT security professionals spends 50% of the work week on regulatory compliance initiatives, according to a new survey.
via Regulatory compliance hogs security pros’ attention.
Over the summer, the company launched Google Apps for Government and announced that it had received FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) certification, which allowed it to store sensitive, yet unclassified, information, which makes up about 80 percent of all government data.
via Google wins email, apps contract with U.S. GSA | ZDNet.
Google (GOOG) and a reseller of its products have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior after the agency solicited bids for cloud-based e-mail and messaging services specifying that bidders must use Microsoft (MSFT) products.
via Google Sues Agency Over Microsoft-Only Cloud Deal – CIO.com.
According to the result of a new survey published by MeriTalk, an online community for government IT professionals, 85 percent of federal information security leaders have not utilized CyberScope, an online reporting tool designed to reduce the amount of wasted dollars the government spends annually on cyber security compliance reports. Of those that have used CyberScope, the survey entitled “FISMA’s Facelift: In the Eye of the Beholder,” found that everyone has given the tool an “A” or “B” rating.
via Survey: Federal IT leaders lack confidence in CyberScope |.