FBI upgrades high tech

The FBI is finally making great headway in modernizing its high-tech systems, and is halfway through a six-year, $451 million Sentinel project to replace paper-based systems that support intelligence and case management activities. FBI Director Robert Mueller testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, giving his report about the progress the FBI has been making on the technology front. He told the committee that he thinks 2009 is "the year we get over the mountain."

Mueller added that cybercrime is growing dramatically and that it's hard to stay ahead of the sophisticated web criminal. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) sympathized with the difficult struggle the FBI has been having to bring modern technology into its offices.

"You inherited one of the most backward [IT] systems in the federal government," Durbin said. Mueller also said the FBI has been making strides in connecting its workers and providing the best tech tools for them to do their work. Among the bureau's accomplishments:

* 24,000 secure BlackBerrys have been handed out.

* 30,000 of its 36,000 office computers have been wired for the Internet.

* 6,000 workers without Internet access at their desks will be moving to new facilities.

For more on the FBI's tech strides:
- check out this nextgov.com article