Page 12 - FCW, September 15, 2017

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VA systems
not ready for
Data Act
A recent oversight report reveals that legacy systems at the Department of Veterans Affairs are not ready to support many requirements of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.
According to the report by VA’s Office of Inspector General, the department’s legacy systems pose serious limitations that challenge financial reporting requirements mandated by the act. The report is dated November 2016 but was released in August.
VA officials told auditors that the department’s 25-year-old core financial management system will only be able to achieve partial Data Act compliance. Specifically, VA officials said that although they could submit information on appropriations accounts in full, they would find it difficult to submit details on program activity and would be largely unable to submit details on financial awards.
VA’s financial management system “requires extensive manipulations, journal entries, manual processes and reconciliations in order for VA to produce a set of auditable financial statements,” the report states.
Auditors added that VA does not have an automated system for grants management.
Rather than upgrading its outdated systems, VA is instead directing its modernization resources toward transitioning to a shared-services provider, according to the report.
“As a result, VA is not seeking other solutions or modifications to outdated systems in order to fully comply with the Data Act,” the report states.
— Chase Gunter
$80/day is reportedly the cost to subscribe to Disdain, an exploit kit that targets flaws in browsers
Verizon plans private network for first responders
Verizon is banking that its national wireless network can attract public safety and first responders across the U.S. to a dedicated, private core network developed just for them. The company’s plan targets the same market the government and AT&T are after with FirstNet, the federally backed interoperable wireless network for first responders.
“We’ve proposed a network solution we believe will achieve the mission of FirstNet, as well as maintain the competitive nature of the communications marketplace,” said Michael Maiorana, senior vice president of public-sector markets at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, in an article posted on LinkedIn.
vs.
He added that Verizon did not bid on the FirstNet contract because “it was essentially structured as a spectrum deal. We were not interested in commercializing FirstNet’s spectrum, and we didn’t need extra network spectrum to build out our nationwide network.”
FirstNet and AT&T are using spectrum that has been set aside for public safety. Under its contract, AT&T can use some of that spectrum for commercial applications.
Verizon’s new network would be part of its commercial 4G LTE network, which covers 2.4 million square miles of the U.S.
In its formal announcement of the plans on Aug. 16, Verizon said it would
make priority access and preemption available to public safety “when necessary and at no charge.”
The company’s plan seems mostly aimed at municipal agencies because states must either participate in FirstNet or formally opt out and obtain their own solutions, which must be interoperable with FirstNet’s core.
Verizon officials declined to specify how much they would invest in the network but said they do not require public safety organizations to opt out of FirstNet or make any financial commitment to support the network’s deployment.
AT&T, on the other hand, has pledged $40 billion to build infra- structure to support FirstNet.
“Individual public safety agencies can decide who they want to work with,” said Kevin King, Verizon’s director of corporate communications. “They are not beholden to any opt-in decision made by their state.”
Furthermore, Verizon’s current public safety customers “can continue to work with us under their existing contracts,” King added.
Likewise, Maiorana said Verizon remains interested in supporting “the majority of public safety agencies.”
Verizon officials are still considering the issue of how Verizon’s network would integrate with FirstNet, said King, who added that it was premature to discuss interoperability plans.
Verizon’s move comes as FirstNet and AT&T are pushing to convince states to join their network. States are currently reviewing network plans supplied by FirstNet and deciding whether they want to opt into the organization’s plans or create their own.
Over a dozen states have signed onto the FirstNet project so far.
— Mark Rockwell
10 September 15, 2017 FCW.COM