Government/ Industries

Government/Industries Topic Center

How government and various vertical industries use technology, as well as how government rules and regulations affect IT

Iran blocks access to some outside websites, services

The Iranian government has severed some citizens' connections to secure websites and services, including Twitter and Google's Gmail, according to reports by Iranians and network experts.
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FDA defends its monitoring of whistle-blowers' email

The FDA Friday said it monitored the private email accounts of nine agency whistle-blowers starting in 2010 to determine whether any of them leaked confidential information to the public.

Wall Street Beat: Earnings, spending forecasts highlight tech sector strength

Recent market research reports and earnings this week from tech bellwethers including Lenovo and Cisco Systems underscore underlying strength in IT even as the global economy continues to experience significant turbulence.

FCC map: Large areas lack mobile broadband

Large portions of the western half of the U.S. do not have access to 3G or faster mobile broadband service, according to a new map released by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Alcatel-Lucent reports rising profit on falling revenue

Telecommunication equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent reported a profit for the fourth quarter, but revenue fell 12.9% year-on-year as the company continues to face a challenging market, it said Friday.

Business owner sentenced for E-Rate fraud

The former owner of two Illinois technology companies was sentenced to 30 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to defraud a U.S. Federal Communications Commission program to help schools and libraries in poor areas connect to the Internet, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

FBI reveals 1991 probe of Steve Jobs

The FBI today made public a background probe of Steve Jobs conducted in 1991, when he was being considered by the George H. W. Bush administration for a spot on the President's Export Council.

New Sony CEO: Hot gadgets aren't enough anymore

Sony's new CEO says the company needs to move on from its hardware roots.

Apple and Google disagree over licensing of essential patents

Google is at odds with Apple, Microsoft and Cisco over the licensing and litigation of patents. While Google wants to make the most of patents it will receive if its acquisition of Motorola is approved, the others want to change the way so-called essential patents are licensed.

Web-based counseling -- Telepsychiatry -- is taking off

Telemedicine has been around since the 1990s, but psychiatrists say it's increasingly used to treat remote patients as technology and security improves, and prices drop.

Will this be the year of Apple in the enterprise?

All of the big trends in IT right now -- cloud computing, mobile solutions and the consumerization of IT -- look good for Apple as it slowly worms its way into the enterprise. Columnist Ryan Faas explains why it's happening now.

Are Google and Apple really 'monopolies'?

Recent charges claiming that Google or Apple are monopolies, are monopolistic or wield monopoly power are simply false. And those who use the M word about these companies are misleading you, writes columnist Mike Elgan.

Sh*t end users say to IT

The folks here at IDG Enterprise (Computerworld, Network World, ITworld, CIO, etc.) decided to join this meme and offer our take on what different things end users say to IT staffers. Broad generalizations sprinkled with some truth, of course!

Building Your Cloud? Remember Your Workers

My post last week discussed the importance of long-term benefits related to productivity and cost when implementing cloud computing technologies. CFOs and their IT directors must understand the importance of hard costs, but they should not forget their employees who will ultimately be impacted by these changes.

Out with SOPA, in with cloud

Count us among the critics of SOPA and PIPA, the two ill-conceived bills that were intended to protect American firms against copyright infringement by foreign websites.

The Grill: John A. Benanti and Donald Stanton

Deputy Commissioner of Technology and Support Services John A. Benanti and Assistant Commissioner Donald Stanton talk about how technology fits into the operations at the New York City Fire Department, one of the largest fire departments in the world. (Insider, registration required.)

Is the 'quantified self' movement just a fad?

The quantified-self movement appears to be going mainstream, but are these people who measure everything they eat and monitor every step they take any happier or healthier than the rest of us?

SOPA Controversy

Internet censorship or protecting creative work from theft? The controversy over SOPA and PIPA legislation.

The Grill: Indranil Ganguly

Indranil 'Neal' Ganguly, vice president and CIO at CentraState Healthcare System, is helping to communicate the benefits that technology can bring to healthcare and shape public policy on the issue. Insider (registration required)

The real force behind the consumerization of IT

You can blame the iPhone, Salesforce.com, and Facebook, but the truth is that business itself has driven the shift to employee-directed tech