Elizabeth Hyman Posts

  • White House protects R&D; Obama’s tax plan criticized; Cybersecurity made top priority

    Dec 12, 2012, 21:16 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    President Barack Obama and his administration are attempting to protect billions of dollars in R&D aid from sweeping budget cuts, said Politico Pro. In addition to meeting with recipients of R&D aid in the science and technology sectors, Obama said in a Twitter live chat last week that the administration is looking to defend its aid budget while offering cuts from alternative areas.The Obama administration’s proposal to tax high income earners would hit about 940,000 people who report bu ...
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  • Need For Tech Workers Emphasized While White House Edits Cybersecurity Executive Order

    Dec 4, 2012, 23:26 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    President Barack Obama and Congressional lawmakers haven’t emphasized a variety of educational options – namely technical training – to solve our nation’s workforce shortage, said the National Journal. The hardest jobs to fill in our country, which includes IT positions, don’t require traditional four-year degrees, yet legislation that promotes these opportunities is lacking.The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would grant more visas to those who graduate with advanced degre ...
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  • Serious gaps remain between cyber concerns, investments; Contractors move to save cybersecurity funding; House to consider limited GOP immigration bill

    Nov 28, 2012, 20:54 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    CompTIA’s 10th Annual Information Security Trends study reviews how the use of mobile devices and technologies such as cloud computing create opportunities as well as vulnerabilities, reports Federal Computer Week. Fifty-seven percent of respondents indicated their company has made at least moderate IT security changes to combat those threats over the past two years, while 10 percent indicated they’ve made drastic changes.Federal officials have hinted that the cybersecurity budget will be spared ...
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  • What the 2012 Election Means Going Forward

    Nov 27, 2012, 23:50 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    This November marked the conclusion of a long and arduous presidential election. After nearly two years of politicking and billions of dollars spent the results are: President Obama was re-elected to a second term; the Democrats retained control of the Senate; and the Republicans retained control of the House. On the surface it would appear to be a status quo election, but there are important details within the election results that could have meaning for the IT community.The Executive BranchOba ...
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  • Small Business Owners Nervous About End of Bush-Era Tax Cuts; Obama Makes Cybersecurity a Top Priority; Presidential Candidates Agree Foreign-Born Entrepreneurs Good For U.S.

    Nov 6, 2012, 22:52 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    Many small business owners have put off plans to hire and expand amid uncertainty around what they will face when several Bush-era tax cuts expire at year’s end, said USA Today. Although tax hikes appear to be a likely outcome, there are several legislative scenarios that could alter, minimize or even delay the tax hikes set to kick in this January.After warning that U.S. financial institutions will continue to be under constant cyber attack, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said tha ...
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  • Cybersecurity Bill Likely Dead; Tech Firms Stepped Up at Conventions; Obama Suggests ‘Secretary of Business’ in Second Term

    Oct 30, 2012, 18:48 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    Passing of new cybersecurity legislation may have to wait until next year. Tech and telecom companies stepped up networking efforts at both national conventions. Obama plans to appoint a secretary of business.The passing of new cybersecurity legislation to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure may have to wait until next year, said The Hill. Even though Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Congress to act swiftly and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he is planning to bring the issue to the ...
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  • Reformers Stress Cybersecurity Risks; Third and Final Debate Analyzed

    Oct 24, 2012, 18:51 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation. Small business owners in key swing states consider Obama debate victor. Obama supports math and science education at debate. Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure during conferences, speeches, panels and other events throughout the country, said Politico. Top White House cybersecurity advisor Michael ...
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  • Across-the-Board Government Spending Cuts Likely to Have Implications for the IT Industry

    Oct 22, 2012, 22:08 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    Last summer, Congress passed the Budget Control Act (BCA) in order to raise the debt ceiling. The BCA dictated that in the event that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which was created by the legislation, was unable to find $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, then across-the-board cuts, or sequestrations, would be triggered. The Committee failed to find the necessary spending cuts and thus, sequestration is currently scheduled to go into effect on January 1st, 2013. Sequestration wil ...
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  • Cybersecurity Lures Investors; Firms Press to Hire Young Veterans; Presidential Candidates Court SMBs

    Oct 16, 2012, 21:56 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    Cybersecurity startups raising more money than ever. Military veterans struggle to sell skills. Obama and Romney offer differing strategies to foster entrepreneurism. Cybersecurity startups in the Washington, D.C., area are raising more money than ever as investors see it as a burgeoning industry, says the Washington Business Journal. Entrepreneurs are viewed as having the upper hand these days as they have “more funding options from a wider range of venture and private equity sources, ...
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  • How the Presidential Debates Affect the Race and What They Mean For IT

    Oct 11, 2012, 15:59 PM by Elizabeth Hyman
    The energy and attention of President Obama and Governor Romney’s presidential campaigns have shifted to the debates. The first debate, which focused on domestic issues – everything from the state of the economy and tax reform to deficit reduction and spending, was viewed by over 66 million people. The general consensus was that Romney won the first debate. A CNN poll found that 57 percent of respondents thought Romney won the debate while 25 percent thought Obama won. A CBS News poll of uncommi ...
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