Former Yahoo! executive Jim Fanella will serve as president of Sacramento-based cloud and hybrid hosting provider StrataScale, the company announced this week.
The Technology Services Board (TSB) is expected to approve a rate reduction package for the Office of Technology Services (OTech) today at a meeting, announced the California Technology Agency. The board will take up the OTech Rate Package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011/12 and FY 2012/13 as well as receive an update on the statewide consolidation effort mandated by AB 2408, among other regular business.
The San Francisco nonprofit organization Out & Equal Workplace Advocates recently completed a three-year strategic plan that establishes IT as a key factor of the organization’s success, according an announcement by Accenture, the firm hired to develop the plan. The nonprofit, which worked with Accenture over a three month period, strives to end employment discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Computer-Using Educators, Inc.(CUE) is a nonprofit educational corporation with the goal of advancing student achievement through technology in all disciplines and by providing Ed Tech professional development to schools, districts and educators. At this year’s CUE conference in Palm Springs, the organization honored 13 Ed Tech professionals for their outstanding use of technology in the classroom curriculum. This week, CUE announced the following 2012 award recipients:
While California is home to Silicon Valley and the world’s top tech companies, many California schools are lagging when it comes to the technology revolution, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson who this week announced the creation of the Education Technology Task Force. The goal is to help bring 21st century tools into California’s classrooms to improve teaching and learning. Torlakson, while acknowledging the state’s budget crisis, created the 48-member task force so that a plan for making better use of technology would be ready when more resources were available.
Former FI$Cal project deputy director Maida Black has been appointed chief information officer of the Victims Compensation and Government Claims Board, says Board spokesperson Anne Gordon.
Del Mar in San Diego County will cut 10 tons of CO2 emissions annually by using shared storage and server virtualization, according to an announcement by the California Energy Commission.
If all goes as planned, the city of Sacramento may be the first city in the U.S. to utilize mobile fingerprint authentication for processing acknowledgement and approval documents, announced BioKey, International, an East Coast company working on a pilot with the city. The city clerk’s office in Sacramento is in the testing stages with Bio-key’s mobile fingerprint biometric identity solution. Bio-key and Fulcrum Biometrics partnered to create a fingerprint authentication system employed through the iPhone, and if the testing phases go well, the city of Sacramento is looking to employ the system in 2013, according to the company’s announcement.
California State Agencies are now authorized to provide surplus state-owned information technology equipment to Public Computer Centers for less than fair market value, according to a Department of General Services (DGS) announcement posted online Friday.
The California Department of General Services has awarded a contract to NWN Corporation to supply printers to state government, according to an announcement from Samsung Electronics and reseller partner NWN. The release states that the contract is mandatory for state agencies and available to all local governments throughout the state. The contract includes a new a recycling program for agencies to swap out old printers.
Agency chief information officer Joe Panora says that green IT is a "key strategic priority" for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). By installing a system that remotely controls the power use of 34,000 PCs at preprogramed times when they are not active, Panora’s department will save $750,000 in annual energy costs. The department’s energy use for these computers has been reduced by 28 percent after hiring Verdiem, an IT energy management firm based out of Seattle, WA.
Amy Cox-O’Farrell is the new CIO for the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), says spokesman Russ Heimerich. Amy has been in state service since 1977, beginning her career at the Department of Health Services. She has worked in various positions at DCA, including serving as division chief in the Office of Information Services, enforcement chief in the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary and Vocational Education and most recently as chief of the Information Technology Division at the Contractors State License Board. She starts work as CIO on Feb. 13.
Last week Hewlett Packard announced the company has been selected to upgrade servers for a research facility at California State University, Monterey Bay that stores education plans and resources for more than 5,000 students and faculty. The university needs to upgrade its storage system to add capacity and flexibility to accommodate the growth in data and deployment of new applications for scholastic research, according to the announcement.
According to the Senate Daily File, California Technology Agency Secretary Carlos Ramos is scheduled to appear for a confirmation hearing in the Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 113 of the State Capitol.
Agency chief information officer Joe Panora says that green IT is a "key strategic priority" for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). By installing a system that remotely controls the power use of 34,000 PCs at preprogramed times when they are not active, Panora’s department will save $750, 000 in annual energy costs. The department’s energy use for these computers has been reduced by 28 percent after hiring Verdiem, an IT energy management firm based out of Seattle, WA.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee wants cities to be "laboratories for innovation," to create new jobs, improve the economy and make government more open and efficient. Last week, Lee was appointed to head a task force among mayors across the nation, to find ways to support the growth of technology to ensure that residents are educated and prepared for the 21st century economy, according to a press release. With deep roots in the tech-sector and home to such giants as Twitter and Salesforce.com, it is predicable that San Francisco would be at the center of such an effort.
The California State University (CSU) system has signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract with Unisys Corporation to provide cloud-based IT services, according to a recent announcement by the global consulting firm. Unisys will host a new system to make it easier for CSU students, faculty and staff at 23 campuses to conduct various online transactions including registering for classes, purchasing parking permits and managing human resources. The project will convert the university’s current application suite, hosted by Unisys using Oracle/PeopleSoft, to be available via cloud networks.
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit that aims to bring inexpensive computers to developing countries, is hopping on the tablet bandwagon. OLPC has distributed laptops to over 2.4 million children in 42 countries and in 25 languages. This week at CES in Las Vegas, the organization, in conjunction with chip supplier Marvell Technology, debuted a prototype called XO-3.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier this month awarded $900,000 in grant funding to two Northern California-based projects to improve broadband infrastructure over the next three years, according to an announcement. The goal is to install and upgrade fiber-based networks to connect 1.5 million residents living in the mostly rugged terrain across eleven counties, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma and Tehama. The funding comes from the CPUC’s California Advanced Services Fund created in 2007 to promote universal broadband adoption across the state.
Sacramento County has saved a total of $4.4 million in operational and labor costs over the last two years due to the implementation of a custom-designed computer system for the Department of Revenue Recovery, according to the county.
This week Attorney General Kamala Harris announced the creation of a new crime fighting unit focused on identity theft, cyber security and other technology-related crimes.
Tech Moves is a new feature to keep up with the various open positions and new assignments of state and private-sector technology professionals around Sacramento and California.
Accenture today announced the firm has been awarded a 9-year contract with the California Department of Consumer Affairs to develop a licensing and enforcement system, called BreEZe. The system will help the department regulate various professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists, contractors and cosmetologists.
If you find yourself pacing down K Street Mall in Sacramento on the lookout for a place to have your next business lunch, and you want to make sure the options meet your high standard of health and sanitation, there’s an app for that.
A recent report by the Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) indicate that disparities in broadband Internet usage among demographic and geographic groups continue to exist in the United States.
Just in time for the holiday celebrating those who dedicated so much for our country’s freedom, the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has announced a mobile app for California veterans and their families to connect them to services. Formatted for both iPhone and Android devices, the apps provide 24-7 access to information about employment, education, housing, health and other benefits and services. They also use GPS technology to help veterans find the nearest government field offices, health facilities, clinics and other organizations that offer services to
This week, the FCC announced a program to provide low-income homes with affordable computers and broadband Internet service. The plan is part of the government’s initiative to connect all Americans to the Internet.
Symsoft Solutions has much to celebrate, having just earned a $15,000 prize and the notoriety that comes with winning first place in a national open data competition held by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Sacramento-based firm won with its "Where are the jobs?" application that uses government data to help connect unemployed workers with promising careers. With the unemployment rate at nearly 12 percent in California, perhaps joining the fight against joblessness, using technology, is the biggest reward of all.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has selected CGI for a three-year, $13.7 million project to upgrade the department’s Construction Management System. The new system will increase efficiency and lower costs, CGI announced today.
