Resources

Vendor Fair to Promote Public-Private Partnerships

The Bay Area Vendor Fair will be held on February 10, 2005 at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, CA. The fair seeks to promote partnerships and generate contracting opportunities with both private and public sectors. This year's theme,"Planning for Progress," focuses on moving the small business community toward a more positive, progressive business and economic future.

Sponsors include the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, City of Oakland, City and County of San Francisco, Port of Oakland, East Bay Municipal Utilities District, Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, California Department of Transportation, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U. S. Department of Commerce—Minority Business Development Agency, U. S. Small Business Administration, Bechtel Infrastructure Corp., and URS Corp.

For more information, visit: www.govinfo.bz/4355-303

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Tips for Secure, Electronic Information Sharing

In late 2003, The House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Governmental Relations issued its third annual report card, grading computer security efforts at 24 major executive branch agencies with a "D." The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports that a significant part of the computer security problem remains with senior managers who have failed to focus sufficient attention on computer security.

Cyber-Ark Software, Inc., based in Dedham, MA, offers the following best practices that could help raise the grade:

Encrypt data while it is in transit and at rest—Encryption is a fundamental building block for protecting data. Sensitive data should be encrypted end-to-end, while in transit and while resting on a device such as a server, where it is most vulnerable. Applying encryption from the point of data entry to its final repository protects data from corruption and exposure.

Set up an administrative password change policy—Mismanagement of administrative passwords is a major cause for security breaches and one of the top reasons for long recovery processes from IT failures. At the same time, systems and network managers need fast access to routers, servers, and other infrastructure building blocks to resolve problems quickly. Look closely at the way passwords are saved and how network/security controls are managed.

Think in terms of multiple layers of security—Just as it is best to dress in layers to keep warm in the winter, it is best to have a layered approach to security. Security architects must design a multilayered security infrastructure in order to address the strengths and limitations of each type of security product. Layers should include standard perimeter security as well as security technologies in front of data, such as authentication, access control, and file encryption.

Monitor and audit regularly—Continually monitoring information enables managers to react in real time to suspicious activity. Maintain audit logs to complement monitoring. These logs contain historical information for further scrutiny.

Enable more transparent access—Don't burden end-users with hard-to-understand security tasks. Use products that are secure by default and employ transparent security measures that do not make a product more difficult to use.

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E-Newsletter to Guide Government Travelers

Official Airline Guides (OAG), a source of independent flight schedule information, announces the launch of the OAG Official Traveler Update, an e-newsletter focused exclusively on government and military travel.

The monthly e-newsletter will provide government and military travelers with industry news and trends on issues such as security, budgets, and GSA travel policies.

Topics and content will include:

• Airport updates in key government and military destinations;
• Lodging and per diem rates;
• Promotional updates from hotel and car-rental companies specifically targeted to official employees;
• Destination updates;
• Hotel news;
• Intelligence on aviation security;
• New mobile technology.

"Government workers and military personnel all face the same issues when traveling: dwindling budgets, the demand to be more productive on the road, and tight security, just to name a few," says Lisa Davis, Editor of Frequent Flyer magazine, the publication that will provide content to the OAG Official Traveler Update. "The OAG Official Traveler Update provides extremely helpful solutions and alternatives to all these issues and more."

For more information, contact Lisa Davis at 630-515-3206 or e-mail ladavis@oag.com. To sign up for the OAG Official Traveler Update, visit: www.govinfo.bz/ 4355-304.

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Report Reveals Actions Required to Reduce Future Blackout Risk

On August 14, 2003, the largest power blackout in North American history left up to 50 million people in eight states and the Province of Ontario without electricity.

In its new report, "The August 14 Blackout One Year Later: Actions Taken to Reduce Blackout Risk," the joint U.S.-Canadian task force explores causes of the blackout and offers suggestions for actions to prevent future outages.

To download the report, visit: www.govinfo.bz/4355-305.