Elizabeth Hyman Posts

A look at the week of November 22, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channelThis week, the SBA is cracking down on contractors pretending to be small firms in order to qualify for government deals.  The federal government adopted a new policy requiring agencies to default to cloud-based IT solutions when possible.   Politicians and industry leaders predict favorable tech legislation in 2011.SBA Takes Closer Look At Federal Contractors — The Small Business Administration is stepping up its effo ...

A look at the week of November 15, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, a leading Senate Democrat vowed to repeal the controversial 1099 reporting requirement.  The Obama Administration is preparing an active and sweeping approach to Internet privacy policy, including the creation of a new watchdog to oversee operations.  Although Congress is now back in session, passage of a cybersecurity bill remains unlikely.Senator Vows to Repeal 1099 Filing Rule From Healthcare Law — Sen. ...

The dust is beginning to settle following the national mid-term elections on November 2nd.  The results are known: Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives picking up 61 seats.  Democrats retained control of the Senate, although their majority margin decreased by 6 seats.  At this writing, the GOP now controls 29 gubernatorial offices across the country having picked up at least six seats.  At least 19 state legislatures switched to Republican majorities.& ...

Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA CEO and president, and David Valdez, senior director of public advocacy, earlier this week weighed in on the future of online privacy, recommending steps Congress and the Federal Trade Commission can take to keep us safer online.  In posts on The Hill’s Congress Blog and TMCnet.com, Todd and David noted that Congress’s challenge, moving forward, will be to protect consumers while encouraging new innovations online.Some of their recommendations include: Providing the FTC ...

A look at the week of November 1, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel A new health IT grant program aims to build insurance exchange systems between states.  Government workers have been scouting hacker conventions in search of new employees.  Cloud computing technology raises questions about data ownership and security. HIT Grants Help States Build Insurance Exchange — The Obama administration has launched a new grant program designed to help states establish the onli ...

A look at the week of October 26, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security have developed new procedures to address a domestic cyberattack.  Tech companies are being heavily affected by immigration policy in their ability to recruit and maintain the talent they need.  The Obama Administration has slowed in implementing the privacy provisions for medical data in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment ...

A look at the week of October 18, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channelThis week, Politico examines Obama’s record on technology policy and what it could mean for mid-term elections.  The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security finally reached an agreement on how to manage cybersecurity responsibilities. A tax reporting requirement attached to the healthcare bill has small IT businesses up in arms.Tech Industry Has Mixed Feelings on Obama — Two years after rallying be ...

A look at the week of October 11, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel This week, a CompTIA study found that IT firms are more optimistic about their own potential than that of the economy at large, causing them to put off hiring and expansion. The rise of electronic medical records is generating tough questions about privacy and security. Green tech start-ups have trouble getting off the ground due to a rough economy and a lack of climate legislation. The SBA reports a jump in small bu ...

A look at the week of October 4, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channelPresident Obama proclaimed October as “National Cybersecurity Awareness Month” to alert and educate the public about cybersecurity. The discovery of the Stuxnet virus delivered a wake-up call to government and industry officials as to the broad implications and potential dangers of a malware attack.  Medical software companies are looking to the recent national mandate for electronic medical records as a turning point in ...

A look at the week of September 28, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channelThis week, the Small Business Lending Bill became law with President Obama’s signature on Monday.  The Senate is now moving forward on cybersecurity, drafting a compromise bill of the two competing proposals.  Also, Microsoft has been pushing the government to reconsider a decades-old law that may be holding back cloud computing.  Despite the end of the economic recession, tech hiring is slow to rebound.Obama Signs $3 ...