Government Bits

Tracking how technology is transforming interaction between governments and citizens.

Last week, we sponsored a seminar in Washington, DC presented by Federal Computer Week on the “Intersection of Security and Information Sharing: How to Improve Government Efficiency in a Security-Conscious World”.

The seminar brought together government professionals, senior government officials, technology and security leaders, and industry executives to discuss security and the role of authentication in delivering information assurance and increasing business process efficiency for the federal government.

Aaron Lippold, senior technical advisor and computer scientist with DISA, spoke on “Forge.mil – Information Sharing and Secure Collaboration”. Our own John Landwehr, senior director of Enterprise Security Solutions, discussed “The Role of Forms Process Security in Ensuring Secure Information Flow”. And Steve LeSueur, contributing editor with 1105 Government Information Group, moderated a panel with Aaron and John on “How to Improve Government Efficiency in a Security-Conscious World”.

Late last week, we hosted an event, along with Carahsoft and Blue Beacon Consulting, focused on the use of social media in the U.S. Department of Defense.

The event – Transitioning from “Social Media” to “Mission Media”: Using Social Media to Achieve DoD Missions – included a great keynote by Maxine Teller (@mixtmedia) and informative panel including our own Rob Pinkerton and:

• Dana Clark (@PAODanaClark), social media manager, public affairs specialist, Army Corps of Engineers
• Dr. Joseph Boutte, strategic advisor, Strategies, New Media and Collaboration, TASC Inc.
• Dan Wade, social media and new technology chief for strategic communication, USSOCOM
• Christopher Zember, deputy director, Information Analysis Centers, OASD(R&E), DTIC
• Bill Annibell @billannibell), chief technology officer, Sapient Government Services (Moderator)

We had a chance to catch some time on camera with Maxine, Dana and Rob to capture their thoughts on the topics of discussion and the event. Check it out:

As always, we’re interested in your thoughts. Keep in touch with us here, on Twitter @AdobeGov ,and on Facebook, where we’ve posted some pictures from the event.

Adobe’s Acrobat and Creative Suite products are ubiquitous across the DoD and Intelligence Community. Over the last few years, we have amassed a compelling number of case studies in which agencies like the US Army Corps of Engineers and many others use Adobe’s desktop tools to conceive, prototype, create, publish, distribute, track, optimize and secure documents and content ranging from simple inter-office communications to detailed technical schematics to high-level classified documentation. Whether it’s high-resolution digital imaging, HD video processing, enterprise-class RIAs, mobile app development, or redacting and encrypting sensitive PDF documentation — the DoD depends on Adobe Desktop.

Because of the broad familiarity that our DoD customers have with our desktop software, Adobe has “taken its show on the road” with a 17-date roadshow called the Create and Secure Military Tour 2011!

These half-day briefings are designed to help keep our customers ahead and abreast of the emerging trends in PDF and document security, publication design, web development and video post-production with practical introductions to the latest innovations in Adobe technology.

Included in these briefings are demonstrations of Acrobat X Professional, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Encore, and other Adobe desktop tools. Hot topics so far have included: document encryption and security, forms data collection workflows, PDF Portfolios, creating apps for Android and iOS devices, HTML5 best practices, smoothly editing multiple streams of HD video in real-time, and much more.

Check here to see if we’re coming to a city or military installation near you soon!

Our recent conversation with Michael Murtha, Adobe Department of Defense Solutions Engineer, continues today with the second of a two-part series.

Today, Mike discusses:

• 0:05 – An overview of the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Defense Connect Online
• 1:30 – Breadth of offering with Adobe Connect
• 2:30 – What the future holds in his market area of focus

If you haven’t yet, check out the first part of the conversation here.

And if you’re reading and watching this, you might also be interested in our recent conversation with Barry Leffew, Adobe’s vice president of Public Sector Sales. You’ll find parts one and two here and here.

To keep up on the latest with Adobe in government, be sure to follow us on Twitter @AdobeGov.

We recently sat down with Michael Murtha, an Adobe Department of Defense Solutions Engineer, to get his perspective on his area of expertise in the public sector. Mike’s work includes supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Defense Connect Online solution, which is based on Adobe Connect.

This is the first segment of a two-part interview. In today’s video, Mike discusses:

• 0:05 – His current role and background
• 0:28 – A typical day
• 1:03 – Key market trends in his area of focus
• 3:05 – The role and importance of customer experience

In part two, which we’ll post in the next couple days, Mike covers:

• An overview of Defense Connect Online
• The breadth of offering with Adobe Connect
• What the future holds in Mike’s market area of focus

Keep your eyes on this space for the second part of the conversation, or follow us on Twitter to be sure you catch it.