Senate Passes $30B Small Business Bill

A look at the week of September 20, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel

This week, the Senate passed the Small Business Jobs Act to open credit to small businesses and create incentives to promote expansion and hiring.  Meanwhile, the government has made little progress in implementing a plan to address cybersecurity threats a year after President Obama made it a national priority.  Tech hiring is on the rise, possibly indicating the start of a broader upward trend in hiring.  Representatives from leading tech firms are in Washington this week to discuss cloud computing for government purposes, as well as cloud policy and legislation.

Senate Passes $30B Small Business Bill – The Senate passed long-delayed legislation designed to open up credit to small businesses and incentivize them to expand and hire new workers.  The AP reports that the measure would establish a $30 billion government fund to help open up lending for credit-starved small businesses, cut their taxes and boost Small Business Administration loan programs.

Critics Find U.S. Cybersecurity Plans Lagging – More than a year ago, President Obama made a White House speech proclaiming the protection of computer networks a national priority.  However, according to The Washington Post, the federal government is still grappling with key questions about how to secure its computer systems as well as private networks deemed critical to U.S. security.  Officials have warned of the dangers of failing to address the threat, saying that a sophisticated cyber attack could cripple U.S. computer networks.

Tech Hiring Shows Signs of Recovery – Though the job market has yet to fully recover, a recent report offers a glimmer of hope in an industry that lost 143,000 jobs in the first half of last year, according to InformationWeek.  Jobs were added in three of the four high-tech sectors: manufacturing, software services and engineering and tech services. The added jobs could mark the beginning of a trend, if the global economy continues to improve.

Leading Technologists Discuss Cloud with Obama Administration – Chief technology officers from leading tech firms around the country are in Washington this week to discuss the government's strategy for deploying cloud services and applications with senior Obama administration officials and lawmakers.  The Hill says the talks are aimed at getting the two sides to discuss how lessons learned in the private sector can translate to the government.