The Business of IT - Cloud's Dirty Little Secret

The article linked below was published in the Winter 2012 edition of FedTech Magazine.

Cloud computing has been a hot trend in computing over the last several years, and has been anointed a strategic initiative for the Federal government. Cloud holds great promise as a technology-based service offering that enables government to consolidate and save money as well as providing a platform for innovative new uses of technology.

To achieve the benefit of comprehensive savings and innovation, government will need to move past the "low-hanging" fruit implementations of cloud computing like email and web services and begin to redeploy agency mission systems to the cloud. This will require require major upgrades to systems, complex projects and high risk. How is your agency positioned to undertake this task? Is the journey ahead fully understood? Will government gain full advantage of cloud benefits, or just tangential returns?

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2012/02/clouds-dirty-little-secret

The Business of IT - Spin Cycle

The article linked below was published in the November 2011 edition of FedTech Magazine.

The article describes some "boorish" behaviors that sometimes emerge in the Federal IT community, for the most part resulting from the politics of Washington, DC.

Have you seen these or similar behaviors from your peers or agency leaders? What other behaviors have you seen in addition to those described here? Do these techniques "win" for those who use them, or do they backfire?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-nov-11

The Business of IT - Observations from the Field

The link below is to my article in the August 2011 edition of FedTech Magazine.

The article looks at the Obama administration's "25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Information Technology Management" in the Federal government. In doing so, I look at what the Plan accomplished - creating focus, establishing priorities - and also look at what remains to be accomplished, most importantly, implementing the Plan.

What do you think of the Plan? From your view, how well is implementation progressing? What do you think will ultimately be the results achieved and the benefits derived from this Plan?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-aug-11

The Business of IT - Facing Down the Budget Crisis

The Federal budget crisis is clearly affecting business as usual for all Federal agencies. Federal CIOs are dealing with the leading elements of the budget crisis - short-term funding and more active cross-government oversight of IT spending and projects. Federal CIOs are also in the vanguard of those addressing the Obama administration's IT reform initiative, which is largely focused on consolidation and large-project risk management.

While this crisis creates many difficulties for CIOs, in many ways IT offers the potential for addressing budget shortfalls. IT costs are steadily declining on a price/performance basis, and the CIOs have tremendous opportunity to use their IT dollars more effectively through consolidation and avoidance of duplication. Perhaps more importantly, IT also provides the capability to manage mission programs better by streamlining processes, incorporating new technologies and more fully engaging the citizenry in "self-service" delivery of government services.

Are you seeing the impacts of the budget crisis beginning to affect longer-term strategy? Are components of your agency beginning to work together more cooperatively? Is your senior leadership using the budget as a leverage to deliver meaningful change? Is your CIO organization equipped to play a bigger role in agency transformation?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-may-2011

The Business of IT - Payment Integrity

Attached below is a link to my latest column in FedTech Magazine on the subject of payment integrity.

Payment integrity and improper payments is a huge problem for the Federal government. In 2010, OMB estimates that Federal agencies released $125 billion in improper payments. There exist commercial analogs that mirror this problem and provide lessons and guidance on how to address it. Should government be doing more to adopt commercial best practices and technologies to reduce improper payments?

http://fedtechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=931

The Business of IT - The Customer Service Imperative

The Customer Service Imperative - Citizens have an awareness of what constitutes outstanding customer service and an expectation that government organizations can meet it.
What do you think? How is your organization positioned to help government with this trend? Will serving the public better help improve the public's image of government?

http://http://fedtechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=875

Informaton Pedigree

Attached below is a link to my latest column in FedTech Magazine on this subject. Key focuses are the potential, using IT, to move from "reactive" to "proactive" government, and the key role of data provenance/information pedigree to ensure proactive decisions are based on reliable data. I cite as examples the financial crisis and the BP spill as huge system failures that might be avoided.

What do you think of proactive government? When will the citizenry be ready for it? Can IT produce in such a key role? Can government deliver the high quality, reliable information required to make proactive government a reality? Do you see information pedigree as important?


http://fedtechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=815