FOSE showcases excellence and innovation in government tech

This year's FOSE conference and expo showcases some of the most innovative technologies and services aimed at, and designed for, government. Nowhere will that be more prevalent than on the convention show floor, where over 200 companies have signed up to show off their best and brightest ideas and products.

Comcast Business will be exhibiting at FOSE for the first time this year. At the booth company officials will be defining how their high-performance networks can power the move to modern government, with data center integration as a major component.

Comcast says it wants to show that the network is a strategic enabler, not just a cost center. To that end, the company will reveal the results of a survey of IT professionals showing how they connect to their data centers. The firm will then give highlight each method and technology and explain where each one is heading in the government market.

Comcast will also explain why Ethernet is the baseline that government should be building services upon and show how it stacks up in terms of speed and throughput compared to older technologies.

Dell will be showcasing some of its latest IT systems and services for federal government at FOSE this year too. A noteworthy example is the new Dell Cloud for U.S. Government, an approach that works to simplify NIST and FedRAMP cloud environments. As part of its cloud initiative Dell will also demonstrate Cloud Connect, a way to enable BYOD while managing remote, secure cloud access to agency applications and data.

With security being an issue at the forefront of all government concerns, Dell will also be showing its Connected Security and Dell Data Protection and Encryption products. These security solutions are designed to protect critical data and manage security risks across all platforms.

Finally, Dell wants to revolutionize federal data centers with its “Data Center Transformation” service, which is a strategic and comprehensive end-to-end approach to data center transformation that helps agencies combine the right people, processes and technology to drive efficiency, reduce risk and provide faster time-to-value.

Electronic records management is one area many government employees are required to monitor. Those looking for help in that endeavor can visit the Feith Systems and Software, Inc. booth. Feith will be demonstrating its BridgeLogiQ product, which it calls an agile and versatile workflow solution.  Feith will exhibit the system’s feaures, from its Web form data capture and document management to its time-and-event-driven workflow.

At the AudioEye booth, the question will be asked, "What does the Internet sound like?" That's because the company specializes in making websites accessible to those with special needs. The federal government has always been at the forefront of accessibility issues, so AudioEye's Audio Internet Software as a Service Platform is something that will peak interest as a platform for 508-compliant enterprise websites run by government agencies.

Unlike many accessibility tools and solutions, the AudioEye player is made available to all end users without the burden of software or plugin installations. Further, the player is cross-platform and browser agnostic. As long as the end user has access to the latest version of Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer, the accessible version of an AudioEye enabled Web destination will provide access regardless of the user's operating system.

Visitors to the AudioEye booth can experience the accessible Internet first hand and gain tips and insight on how to make government websites more user-friendly and comply with accessibility laws.

With the deadline for full FedRAMP compliance ticking down, cloud security is center stage at this year’s FOSE.  As part of FedRAMP requirements, agencies must hire an approved third-party assessment organization to perform an independent audit of government cloud systems.

Coalfire has consulted on many of these assessments, At Coalfire’s booth, they will be sharing best practices they've learned, including tips to help government agencies comply with the new security regulations.

At the Leap Motion booth, visitors won't be touching anything, because the company is coming to FOSE for the first time to demonstrate how its innovative  controller allows for hands-free computer operation. Company officials will be demonstrating some of the new features that have already been integrated into Leap Motion, such as Google Earth and Cyber Science. Visitors will be able to experience full gesture control for computers and see how government websites might design modules using gesture compatibility to make their sites more engaging, while also helping to improve Section 508 accessibility.

Altogether the 150 plus companies coming to FOSE are going to create a temporary technology-packed city. If you want to check out the latest tech for government, for three days at least, it will be right up the street.