Tech Update Summary fromBlue Mountain Data Systems Inc.

September 2014

For CTOs, CIOs & CISOs

Every business day, we publish a Daily Tech Update for Federal & State CTOs ,CIOs & CISOs on

the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog. We hope you will visit our blog for the latest

information.

Here’s the summary of the Daily Tech Updates for September 2014. Hope the information and

ideas prove useful.

Best,Paul VeselyPresident and Principal ArchitectBlue Mountain Data Systems Inc.

For the CTO, CIO & CISOHOW-TO: 6 Strategies for Cancelling a Major IT Project. Sometimes it’s better to walk away from an IT project, even a big one, than to fall further down the rabbit hole. Read more [CIO.COM]

E-DISCOVERY: The critical role CIOs play in e-discovery. A CIO’s duties now include controlling — and ideally reducing — the costs associated with e-discovery. Read more[FCW.COM]

TECHNOLOGY REFRESH: Key Drivers For Technology Refresh And How An Organization Should Approach It Read more[SIG.ORG]

MICROSOFT: What’s new in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015? To compete with systems like SalesForce, Microsoft has added a series of new features to the latest version of its Dynamics CRM Relevant Products/Services application. Read more [CIO-TODAY.COM]

Programming & Scripting Development Client & Server-Side

HOW TO LINK JAVA & JAVASCRIPT: JHipster links Java and JavaScript for Web development. The JHipster application generator is enabling developers to blend their Java and JavaScript development skills on the same Web applications. Read more[JAVAWORLD.COM]

NODE.js & RESTful: Architecting a Secure RESTful Node.js app. Create a Node.js app that acts as a REST API server for all of your clients. Learn how to implement a Token Based Authentication to authenticate and authorize the client to access the application data. Read more[THEJACKALOFJAVASCRIPT.COM]

PACKAGE MANAGERS: 5 Package Managers for Node.js Developers. Are you a software developer who is still using traditional methods of handling libraries? It’s much easier to stay in control of dependencies since you just change a number in a text file and execute a command. The package manager will do all the work for you. Read more [HUFFINGTONPOST.COM]

Programming & Scripting Development Client & Server-Side

MORE NODE.JS: Lineman.js streamlines building JavaScript client applications. Lineman is a Node.js-based project build tool that is useful when building, testing, and deploying JavaScript client applications. Discover the benefits and one drawback of using Lineman. Read More[TECHREPUBLIC.COM]

TYPESCRIPT: Retrieving data with Backbone and TypeScript. Create an AJAX-enabled application using TypeScript with Backbone that talks to a Web API service. Read more[VISUALSTUDIOMAGAZINE]

ANGULARJS: Extend the Power of HTML With AngularJS. AngularJS extends HTML attributes with Directives, and binds data to HTML with Expressions. Read More[W3SCHOOLS]

Programming & Scripting Development Client & Server-Side

C# & BING: Using Bing to Boost C# Development. The Bing Developer Assistant (BDA) is a plugin designed to benefit C# developers using Visual Studio. Read more[INFOQ.COM]

NODE.JS: Protect Your Node.js Sources With JScrambler Before Unleashing it Into the Wild Wild Web. Find out more[HUFFINGTONPOST.COM]

C3.js: D3-based Reusable Chart Library. Built on D3, a JavaScript visualization library for HTML and SVG, you can create reusable charts that can be manipulated after they write to the screen. Read more[C3JS.ORG]

GO: How to Program with Google’s Go Language Read more[GOLANG-BOOK.COM]

Programming & Scripting Development Client & Server-Side

MICROSOFT: Asynchronous Programming with Async and Await (C# and Visual Basic) Read More[MICROSOFT.COM]

PROGRAMMER’S RESOURCE: Algorithms for Programmers: Ideas and Source Code (PDF). Free download from Jorg Arndt. Read More[JJJ.DE]

SEARCH: Discover the Solr Search Server. Info to get you started Read more[SOLRTUTORIAL.COM]

UX: How do you find folks for usability studies? Here are tips. Read more [DIGITALGOV.COM]

Programming & Scripting Development Client & Server-Side

MOBILE: Create cross-platform apps with PhoneGap and jQuery Mobile Read more[TECHREPUBLIC.COM]

PHP: A developer who doesn’t learn at least one new thing every 3 months is a paperweight. You have to keep learning. Nomad PHP helps you build a habit of continuous learning. Read more[NOMADPHP.COM]

Cloud

AMAZON: Its Amazon Web Services platform has been given provisional authorization from the Defense Information Systems Agency to hold Defense Department data above a level 2 security impact clearance. The authorization makes Amazon’s GovCloud the first cloud service to hold every level of unclassified DOD data. Read more[FEDSCOOP]

MICROSOFT: Microsoft has two new Azure services: Its DocumentDB NoSQL service and its full-text search service built on Elasticsearch. Read more[ZDNET]

SHADOW IT: Cloud, budget reductions helping CIOs pull IT out of the shadows. Shrinking agency budgets and the wide-spread use of cloud computing are starting to address a long-standing problem for agencies commonly known as shadow IT. Read more [FEDERALNEWSRADIO]

Cloud

CLOUD MIGRATION: Commandments of the Cloud. 10 key factors every CIO should follow as he or she transitions to the cloud. Read more[CIOINSIGHT.COM]

NEW CLOUD PROCUREMENT REPORT: Best Practice Guide for Cloud and As-A-Service Procurements. This guide, built upon the collaborative work of state and local government and industry executives, outlines and explains the changes needed for more flexible and agile procurement processes. Download it[GOVTECH.COM]

TAKE STOCK IN THE CLOUD: Best- And Worst-Performing Cloud Computing Stocks September 15th To 19th And Year-To-Date. Read more[FORBES.COM]

CLOUD SECURITY VIDEO: DOL CIO Dawn Leaf discusses the challenges in secure cloud computing in government. View now [BLUEMT.COM]

CloudAPPLE: Apple extends two-factor authentication to iCloud. It has enabled two-factor authentication for its iCloud storage service, more than a year and a half after the company first turned the protective measure on for iTunes purchases and Apple ID. Read more[THREATPOST.COM]

AMAZON: HP builds load testing service on Amazon Web Services Cloud. Hewlett Packard has announced StormRunner, a new solution that provides a cloud-based platform for application quality testing and delivery. Read more[DATACENTERKNOWLEDGE.COM]

MICROSOFT: Adds 3D printing via cloud to application, allowing creation and printing of 3D objects with unconventional materials such as metals and ceramics. Users of Microsoft’s 3D Builder application will be able to create 3D models, get them printed remotely, and then get the end product delivered to their doorstep. Read more [PCWORLD.COM]

Cloud

WIRELESS & THE CLOUD: Government IT leaders say cloud-based systems save money, streamline management and improve service delivery. Here are three areas to consider before moving forward with cloud-based wireless. Read More[STATETECHMAGAZINE.COM]

HOW-TO: Plan for Long-Term Success in the Cloud. Heed these tips for getting the most out of your cloud investments. Read More[STATETECHMAGAZINE.COM]

BUDGETS: Cloud Computing Accounts for Just 1% of HHS’ IT Budget, GAO Finds. Although cloud computing could result in significant cost savings for HHS, the department has allocated just 1% of its overall budget to such services, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. Read More[IHEALTHBEAT.COM]

INFOGRAPHIC: Infographic: Up in the Air? The Future of Cloud Computing. View It[SILICONBAYOUNEWS.COM]

Cloud

CLOUD BUG BOUNTY: Microsoft has launched a cloud bug bounty starting with Office 365. Vulnerability types include Cross Site Scripting (XSS), Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Unauthorized cross-tenant data tampering or access (for multi-tenant services), Insecure direct object references, Injection Flaws, Authentication Flaws, Server-side Code Execution, Privilege Escalation and Significant Security Misconfiguration. Get the Details[ZDNET.COM]

CLOUD COMPUTING: Red Hat CEO announces a shift from client-server to cloud computing. In other words, Red Hat is moving from Linux to OpenStack as its primary breadwinner. Read more[ZDNET.COM]

Open Source

FIXED VOTES: Open Source Fix For US Voting System? Open source programmers and maverick election officials want to improve the way we vote, register to vote, and count the votes. Wish them luck. Read more[INFORMATIONWEEK.COM]

Critical Patches RequiredINTERNET EXPLORER: Fix zero day vulnerability CVE-2013-7331 that allows attackers to determine remotely through a webpage the existence of local pathnames, UNC share pathnames, intranet hostnames, and intranet IP addresses by examining error codes. Read more here [PCWORLD]

ADOBE FLASH: Flaw can be exploited through a malicious web page or possibly through malicious Microsoft Office files to allow the attacker to remotely execute code on the affected system. Read more here [PCWORLD]

ADOBE READER & ACROBAT: Critical Adobe Reader and Acrobat patches FINALLY released. Eight vulnerabilities healed, including XSS and DoS paths. Five bugs which could lead to code execution have been fixed. The remaining three bugs involve a sandbox bypass vulnerability, a crashing (denial of service) risk and a cross-site scripting flaw. Read more here [THEREGISTER.CO.UK]

Big Data

SOFTWARE: Giving away software to make it more valuable. A big-data start-up just destroyed itself to save itself. That is perhaps not a big deal, but it says a lot about where the world of big computing is headed. Read more[BITS.BLOGS.NYTIMES.COM]

Federal Agencies

COMMERCE: What is the Economic Development Administration? Find out more[FEDERALNEWSRADIO]

HHS: HealthCare.gov Hack: Americans Got Lucky This Time Read more[INFOSECURITYMAG]

GSA: Did you know GSA’s .75% Schedule fee is built in to the price? Learn more at agency FAQs.[@usgsa]

DOL: Department Of Labor’s EBSA Safeguards Employee Contributions Fact Sheet Find out more[DOL.GOV]

GAO: FDIC Made Progress in Securing Key Financial Systems, but Weaknesses Remain Read more [GAO.GOV]

Federal Agencies

OPM: The Office of Personnel Management wants Feds from across government to help figure out how to use social media to recognize current employees and to recruit new ones. Learn more.[@nextgov]

FEMA: September is National Preparedness Month! Follow #NatlPrep for tips. More info: Learn more.[@ready.gov]

FROM ACCESS TO AZURE: Treasury risk manager leaps from Microsoft Access to Azure cloud. Read more[ZDNET.COM]

FEDRAMP: Agencies Demand FedRAMP-Approved Cloud Services. See what NASA, the Army and the Commerce Department are requiring from their cloud

vendors. Read more [FEDTECHMAGAZINE.COM]

Federal Agencies

IT TRENDS: What’s the next big tech trend? This federal agency thinks it can predict the answer. Read more[WAPOST.COM]

FREDDIE MAC: According to CISO Patricia Titus, continuous monitoring is helping Freddie Mac reduce the number of security controls it uses to safeguard its information systems. Find out more[GOVINFOSECURITY.COM]

SBA: How government is funding small-business innovation. 32-year-old Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has doled out more than 112,500 awards to small businesses, worth more than $26.9 billion Read more[FEDTECHMAGAZINE.COM]

OPM: New guidance on “Enhancing Workplace Flexibilities and Work-Life Programs”, including telework. Learn more. [CHCOC.GOV]

Federal AgenciesFAA: Realtors Now Working With FAA On Drones. The National Association of Realtors is now working with the FAA to educate the agency about safe and responsible uses of drones. Read more[FAA.GOV] [FORBES.COM]

GSA: GSA’s Back to School Support Helps Communities Recover from Superstorm Sandy. Through continued efforts under the federal government’s Computers for Learning Program, the agency is helping schools still dealing with the aftermath of last October’s superstorm. Find out more[GSA.GOV]

FAA: U.S. FAA says reviewing contingency plans, security polices after fire. The U.S. aviation safety agency’s top official said on Monday he ordered a review of all U.S. air traffic control contingency plans and security policies following a fire on Friday that crippled air travel over much of the U.S. Midwest. Read more [REUTERS.COM]

Federal Agencies

DELIVERY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION: As traffic to desktop .gov websites declines, how you publish your content increasingly matters. You need to meet people where they are as they seek information on the Internet. To do so, you need to adjust to the new world of mobile applications, social media, and instant answers provided by search engines. Read more[DIGITALGOV.GOV]

IT - State & Local Governments

VERMONT: State awarded $1M for transportation technology. Vermont was one of six recipients of $4.034 million in grants announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The grants are part of a program encouraging states to undertake innovative projects that could be replicated by other states. Read more here[BURLINGTONFREEPRESS]

MASSACHUSETTS: State Police plans to introduce a new system that will replace handwritten tickets with electronic ones. The Motor Vehicle Automated Crash and Citation System, aims to improve the way citation data is collected and transmitted, said Curt Wood, undersecretary for forensic science and technology in the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Read more here[BOSTONGLOBE]

IT - State & Local Governments

BOSTON: See Executive Order issued by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh that instructs the city’s CIO to implement a City of Boston Open Data Policy. This includes a Protected Data Policy for health and some educational information. Read more[CITYOFBOSTON.GOV]

NEW YORK: New York City gets a chief technology officer. Minerva Tantoco, has worked with both startups and large enterprises over the last 25 years. Read more[VENTUREBEAT.COM]

NAPA COUNTY, CA: Governments Deploy Mobile Content Management. Napa County, CA, has seen the future of mobility and understands it’s all about moving content securely across the network for users. Read more [STATETECHMAGAZINE.COM]

IT - State & Local Governments

UTAH: Utah senator to propose teaching coding in schools. Sen. Howard Stephenson, a Republican from Draper, Utah, is proposing legislation that will make computer coding accessible to all students as early as elementary school in an effort to push them towards high-paying jobs in the technology sector. Read more[STATESCOOP.COM]

CALIFORNIA: Did you know the state of California employs 130 CIOs and more than 10,000 IT professionals and spends $3 billion annually on technology? Check out their Tech Blog. Read more[TECHBLOG.CA.GOV]

IT Security | Cybersecurity

SURVEY SAYS: SANS Institute reports that organizations of all sizes are facing high-profile security breaches and attacks that require incident response capabilities. In a recent survey, only 9% of survey respondents labeled their incident response capabilities as very effective, and 26% were dissatisfied, citing lack or time to review and practice procedures (62%) and lack of budget (60%) as key impediments to effective response. Read more[SYS-CON]

NIST & 3D PRINTERS: Defense companies that manufacture parts with three-dimensional printers using metal powders need to heed forthcoming National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) draft guidelines for avoiding 3-D printer breaches. Read more[NEXTGOV]

IT Security | Cybersecurity

EDUCATION: Most U.S. universities are at greater risk for security breaches than retail or healthcare. Report says the majority of attacks experienced by higher education institutions come from malware infections, and most universities are ill equipped to prevent and handle such attacks. Read more[ZDNET]

SMART DATA: Should the entire Internet be encrypted? Google has confirmed that it is planning to give sites secured through HTTPS a higher search ranking than their unsecured counterparts. Read the rest[@smartdataco]

IT Security | Cybersecurity

MOBILE: Most mobile apps will fail standard security tests, Gartner says. This poses a serious problem for organizations where bring-your-own-device options are commonplace. Read the rest[CNET.COM]

CLOUD SECURITY: Four major trends impacting cloud security: 1) shifting motivations behind hacking, 2) consumerization of IT, 3) evolving architecture technologies, and 4) challenging regulatory environment Read more[ZDNET.COM]

APPLE SECURITY: iOS 8 contains a bucket of security fixes that makes your iPhone and iPad safer to use. Apple is mum, of course, about how severe the problems were. Read the rest[CNET.COM]

IT Security | Cybersecurity

EFFICIENT CONTINUOUS MONITORING: At Blue Mountain Data Systems, we define continuous monitoring as “real-time security monitoring rather than the periodic reviews conducted weekly or monthly for compliance purposes.” Discover the third-party products and resources we use when providing continuous monitoring IT security support for our clients. Read more[BLUEMT.COM]

CYBER SECURITY EDUCATION: Remove The Limits. Highly technical and high-level strategic education must come together to achieve cyber security goals. Read more[INFORMATIONWEEK.COM]

CONTINUOUS MONITORING: What Tool Should Fed Agencies Use to Assess the Entire Network for Vulnerabilities on Devices? Read the rest[BLUEMT.COM]

IT Security | CybersecurityGOOGLE CHROME: Chrome Sets SHA-1 Expiration Date. Changing how it displays sites that use HTTPS certificates with SHA-1 signatures. Read the rest[INFOQ.COM]

INSIDER THREATS: Virtualization, cloud complicate insider threats for Federal CIOs. Within the federal government, the shift toward virtualization and cloud computing is already well underway, but agency and industry officials warn that those migrations invite new security considerations, particularly in the form of insider threats. Read more[CIO.COM]

BASH VULNERABILITY: A honeypot run by researchers at AlienVault Labs has snared two separate pieces of malware attempting to exploit the Bash vulnerability.” Read more[THREATPOST.COM]

IT Security | CybersecurityNIST FAQS: Managing Security Risk by Using Common Security Configurations #NISTCompliance. Read FAQs[CSRC.NIST.GOV]

CYBERSECURITY 101: Need an easy way to explain to folks in your agency why the Internet is fundamentally insecure? Use this video, produced by NOVA PBS. It teaches simple things people can do to protect themselves and their information. View now[YOUTUBE.COM]

DATA PROTECTION: How a New York Times cybersecurity reporter protects her data. And what you can do to protect yours. Read more[NYTIMES.COM]

SECURITY MAPPING: The Information Security Forum (ISF) has created a mapping between the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity and its annual Standard of Good Practice for IT security professionals. Read more [INFO-SECURITY-MAGAZINE.COM]

Personal IT Security

TRAVELING WITH DATA: The safest way to protect confidential information? Don’t take it with you. OK. We know. It’s impossible when traveling for business. According to the New York Times, there are some simple steps you can take to help you reduce the risk of your info being stolen when you are on the road. Read the rest[NYTIMES]

Application Development

APP DEVELOPMENT: 4 ways Docker fundamentally changes application development. How Docker containers streamline development and deployment, encourage best practices, and enable a new breed of micro-services based applications. Read more[INFOWORLD.COM]

MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT: The four mobile application development stumbling blocks to avoid. Experts and analysts explain the common but lethal mistakes that are tripping up companies when designing custom corporate apps. Read more[INFORMATIONAGE.COM]

Electronic Document Management

OVERSIGHT: FBI’s 2-year-old, $550M electronic case management system frustrates users. More than half of FBI employees using the bureau’s electronic records and case management system for day-to-day activities are dissatisfied with search functionality and say indexing is a productivity drain. Read more[FIERCEGOVERNMENTIT.COM]

SECURE DOCUMENTS: 18 Ways to Secure Your Electronic Documents. Are your organization’s document management security inefficiencies leaving you open to legal and economic repercussions? Find out how to keep your electronic files secure during the entire chain of custody. Read more[BLUEMT.COM]

Electronic Document Management

ID THEFT: Poor document management fuels ID theft. Organizations that fail to effectively dispose of documents containing personal details of customers and employees are placing these stakeholders at an increased risk of identity theft. Read more[ITWEB.CO.ZA]

PAPERLESS REQUIREMENT: Developers of new projects now must file electronically with Boston Redevelopment Authority. This is a big change for a quasi-public agency that has coped with more than its share of paper over the years. Read more[BIZJOURNALS.COM]

Management

YOUR NEXT CYBER WHIZ: Why CIOs and chief security officers should consider internships as a viable option for building their workforces. Read more[STATETECHMAG]

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S CUSTOMERS: 3 Steps to Keep Customers Happy During Times of Change. Read More[DIGITALGOV]

MICHELANGELOS WANTED: Did you know that Michelangelo may have been autistic, and appeared ‘weird’ to his peers. The critical lesson: “Weirdness can look like a problem but, in fact, it’s quite often the solution.” Martin Davidson explains in The Case for Recruiting Weirdos.[BUSINESSWEEK]

Management

GREAT ADVICE: “Treat every day like it’s your first day with your client. If you don’t, it very well might be your last.” – Paul Vesely, Founder, President and Principal Systems Architect, Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc. Read more about Paul Vesely[BLUEMT.COM]

SAVE ON PAYROLL SERVICES: Blue Mountain Data Systems saves about $170 per month on Intuit payroll services by using Costco Read more[PAYROLL.INTUIT.COM]

FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS: “Gifts to students that are directed instead to parents will only affect financial aid by some 15%.” – Paul Vesely, Blue Mountain Data Systems Read more[BLUEMT.COM]

Management12 TIPS: For managing today’s IT challenges. Ideas on how to successfully navigate and manage the daily strategic considerations encountered by many CIOs. Read More[CIOINSIGHT.COM]

WORKFORCE: Millennial fever: Coming, going and succeeding. As baby boomers head into retirement and the millennial generation steps in to take their place, managers need to recognize their different approaches and styles — and adapt accordingly. Read More[FCW.COM]

20 TIPS: For First-Time Managers Read more[BUSINESSWEEK.COM]

LEADERSHIP: 3 Tips For Surviving As A First-Time Manager Read more [FORBES.COM]

ManagementFED AGENCIES: Need better oversight of contractors. The federal government does not know how many IT systems are run by contractors. That’s a takeaway from a study titled “Agencies Need to Improve Oversight of Contractor Controls” issued Sept. 8 by the Government Accountability Office. Read more[GOVINFOSECURITY.COM]

TECH CULTURE: A new report called “The Digital Dividend: First Mover Advantage” from the Harvard Business Review and Verizon, details how technology adoption is changing the business of government. Much like the private sector, government organizations can be classified by their willingness to integrate new technologies, and the first movers are winning. Read more[CIVSOURCEONLINE.COM]

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT: The Rule of Three. Do you believe that the involvement of citizens in the management of the government makes government better? Read more [CIO-MUSINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM]

Management

MANAGEMENT TIPS: Alexander Hamilton’s 10 Tips To Organizational Management. The nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury’s – how to not only run the organization but also to allow it to evolve. Read the rest[FORBES.COM]

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR CIOS: Are you making the best use of your time? Read more[ITNEWS.COM]

ABOUT US

Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc.

Blue Mountain Data Systems Inc. is dedicated to application and systems development, electronic document management, IT security support, and the automation of workflow processes.

Read more about our experience here:>> http://bluemt.com/experience

MANAGEMENT

Paul T. Vesely Founder, President, CEO and Principal Architect

Mr. Vesely is a recognized thought leader in systems architecture and delivery, having designed and delivered many enterprise wide information and document management solutions. Mr. Vesely’s history includes 33 years experience in the information systems industry, with Unisys, Grumman, PRC and a host of clients in both government and private sectors.

CONTACT US

Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Next IT Project

HEADQUARTERS366 Victory DriveHerndon, VA 20170

PHONE 703-502-3416

FAX 703-745-9110

EMAILpaul@bluemt.com

WEBhttp://bluemt.com