When it comes to the transition from command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) systems to cloud computing architectures, both the challenge—and the promise—boil down to “getting the right information to the right individual at the right time and doing it securely.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a unit of the U.S. Department of Justice, has emerged as a leader in the government’s executive branch when it comes to deploying mobile devices among its personnel. The agency’s law enforcement portfolio has given it an edge as a large portion of its work force already uses laptops and handheld devices for work outside of the Washington, D.C., headquarters.

We want partners—not vendors.” All of the government-industry days, procurement updates or program reviews offer the constant call for industry to “be our partner, bring us innovation; work with us to enhance the capability for the warfighter or the ultimate end user.” Yet, partnership is a two-way street. Partnership involves communication, open and transparent management of expectations, honest relationships and decisions that allow both sides to manage their requirements. Partnership is not just a word. It takes work to achieve win-win situations—for each side to treat the other with respect and to make good decisions quickly to minimize cost for both sides.

Officials in two areas of Afghanistan—Regional Command–South and Regional Command–East—are engaging in independent efforts to virtualize servers. The combined endeavors mark the first time the practice has been instituted in a theater of operations on such a large scale. And, according to NATO and U.S. sources in Afghanistan, it already is reaping rewards for the warfighters, including saving space, fuel, energy and money, while reducing system downtime and increasing data rates, memory and processing power.

In a relative flurry of activity, the U.S. Defense Department is certifying the security credentials for the iPhone and Android operating systems and some devices that use them. The security accreditations come two years after the Windows Mobile operating system officially was sanctioned and brings the military a step closer to fielding mobile devices across the entire department.

Cmdr. Rick McCarthy, USN, director of administration for the NATO hospital in Kandahar, tells a lot of gory war stories: like the one about the 18-month-old toddler with a bullet wound in one arm. Or the report about the Afghanistan citizen who, following an explosion, had to have rocks picked from his face and lumps of dirt pulled from the tops of his eyeballs. Or the story about the soldier who had his face crushed by the armor-clad body of one of his buddies.

Integrating the network and defending it against cyberattacks are among the top priorities in the new Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) 2011-2012 Campaign Plan. The plan, released this morning, focuses on requirements and opportunities facing the information agency.

Wait. Don't roll your eyes! If you're over 40 years old, you may be tempted to do so, but I would caution you, to stop doing so, if that's the case. What matters is the client's perception of "Cloud Computing" (CC) and what they think about it. If they either want to or currently do-- believe in CC, then don't argue with them (even behind their back).

Digital-data investigators have a new tool in their arsenals as they try to capture bad guys' information before they can harm others. The device enables immediate, on-scene triage of devices, eliminating the need to send equipment back to a laboratory while saving precious time and resources.

The Office of Naval Research is turning to a community of more than 1,000 cyber wargame players in a three-week effort to “crowdsource” new ideas on how to combat Somali pirates.