Washington - The U.S. Government Printing Office's (GPO) Inspector General Office was honored for creating and managing GPO's information technology (IT) audit program. Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Inspections Brent Melson received the Award for Excellence in Information Technology from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). The IT audit program has made a significant impact on the agency's operations and security.  For example, one of Melson's initiatives involves overseeing an assessment of GPO's Certificate Authority, which guarantees federal government information published on the web by GPO is authentic. GPO authenticates documents by digital signature assuring the public that the document has not been changed or altered. A digital signature, viewed through the GPO Seal of Authenticity, verifies the document's integrity and authenticity.

CIGIE is an independent entity within the executive branch made up of agency Inspector Generals who are responsible for detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse in order to increase the efficiency of federal programs and operations.

"The men and women in the Office of Inspector General are committed to providing independent audits, evaluations and other reviews to help improve GPO's efficiency and effectiveness," said Inspector General Tony Ogden.  "This award is an example of how our office is taking a leadership role in promoting efficiency for GPO programs and operations.  Congratulations to Brent and the entire Inspector General Office on this award."