Can Someone Translate This Into English?

     From FCW:

The Social Security Administration is moving forward with back-end tech and records systems to support the agency's long-term plan to modernize and improve customer service. 

As SSA continues to invest in its online help and customer services, the Customer Engagement Tools record system will collect and store electronic communications between SSA personnel and beneficiaries with "my Social Security" accounts. 

The database, which will be developed in-house, will also allow SSA's customer-facing systems quick access to user data. 

A Social Security spokesperson told FCW the agency anticipates the system will be ready for use in fiscal year 2018, and that 10 percent of current my Social Security account holders will be able to access the CET system in its first release.

Social Security Seeking Information On Moving Its Data Operations To The Cloud

     Huge sums of money were spent in recent years building two computer centers for the Social Security Administration, a National Computer Center in the Baltimore area and a backup computing center near me in North Carolina. It now looks like this money was wasted. The agency just issued a request for information on moving its data operations to the cloud. At the rate things are going, the National Computer Center may never even be used. Great planning.

Friday News Dump

     Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a progress report on Social Security's national computer center. This is a very expensive project to replace Social Security's current data processing center. There has been a controversy over whether it's really needed.

     OIG has labeled the report as "Limited Distribution" and has issued only a very brief summary to the public. They're keeping most of it secret. The report, such as it is, has been released on the Friday before Labor Day. Why?
     Let me just mention that a Republican was Commissioner of Social Security when the national computer center was being planned and when construction started. Republicans on Capitol Hill were the biggest proponents of a national computer center. I don't think Social Security's Inspector General, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, has ever raised any question about the wisdom of creating a national computer center even though OIG has done many studies of the national computer center over the years. I don't think this is a partisan problem but if it is, it's a problem primarily created by Republicans.

Johnson Demands End To DCPS

     From a House Ways and Means Committee press release:

Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) sent a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll requesting a full and immediate investigation into the SSA’s mismanagement and failed implementation of the $300 million Disability Case Processing System (DCPS).  Johnson also sent a letter to Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Carolyn Colvin, calling for her to stop further spending on the implementation of the DCPS.

     And what, exactly, does SSA use to replace the DCPS, which is already partially implemented?

New Data Center Nearly Finished

     From Federal News Radio:

The Social Security Administration's new data center is almost finished after nearly two years....

 "We are merely a month and a half away from where we take possession of the new building. The building, itself, has come in under schedule and under budget, and at high quality. So we will begin the migration once we have the keys to start moving services over to the new data center," said Bill Zielinski, the Social Security Administration's chief information officer. "We are really looking forward to that time when we can take advantage of all the things the new technology will provide us."

Up In The Clouds

     The Social Security Administration is seeking information about using cloud computing in its operations. In general, Social Security has resisted cloud computing since it would disperse computing over many non-agency computers. However, Social Security is now seeking information about an "on-premise private cloud."

Can Anyone Translate This?

     From a press release:

Thunderhead.com, a pioneer of SaaS [Software as a Service] solutions for customer experience management, today announced that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected the Thunderhead NOW solution to provide integrated correspondence for its Disability Case Processing System (DCPS).
Thunderhead.com provides a centrally managed solution for document language and template authoring, incorporating the ability to create, edit, collaborate and publish approved document content. Thunderhead NOW enables organizations like the SSA to reduce IT resources and programmatic maintenance costs, increase communication management capabilities, lower costs by using delivery means other than paper-based communications and improve customer service by offering additional communications options.

Groundbreaking For Data Center

The Associated Press reports that Social Security is holding a groundbreaking ceremony today for the agency’s new data center in Urbana, Maryland.

COBOL Isn't Going Away

     Social Security is stuck with a lot of old mainframe computer programs written using the COBOL computer language. The agency is trying to transition from COBOL but an article in Computerworld makes me wonder whether the transition is really necessary or practical.
     In any case, Social Security is not alone in having lots of COBOL code. COBOL remains ubiquitous in large data processing operations.
     If you know someone who wants really good job security, tell them to study COBOL. No matter what anyone says, it's clearly not going away in the foreseeable future.