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Will States Adopt Federal IT Management Changes?

The US Office of Management & Budget (OMB) will be implementing fundamental changes that “entail structural changes in how programs are funded, staffed and managed.” The plans call for a “cloud-first” policy which boosts the use of government cloud computing for new systems.

According to Federal Computer Week (FCW), the Obama administration has developed a five-pronged strategy for improving IT management in the federal government. The US Office of Management & Budget (OMB) will be implementing fundamental changes that “entail structural changes in how programs are funded, staffed and managed.”

The plans call for a “cloud-first” policy which boosts the use of government cloud computing for new systems.

The five areas which will see dramatic changes include:

1.      Align budgets and acquisitions with the technology cycle.

2.      Strengthen program management

3.    Increase accountability and streamline government.

4.    Increase engagement with industry

5.    Adopt light technologies and shared solutions.

These areas are described in more detail in the Federal Computer Week article, and CIO Vivek Kundra will hold a public event Dec. 9 to offer additional details on action items.

Looking through the list, these same actions are bound to become priorities within state governments, in my view. The main reason is that cost-cutting will be even more important in the coming year, as well as showing a return on technology investments. In addition, state governments must follow their federal partners in many cases in order to obtain funding for projects. (In Michigan, approximately 60% of IT dollars spent come from the federal government.)

Therefore, state governments are usually affected by federal trends, either directly or indirectly. Bottom line, expect these same five areas to show up in a state or local government near you. Similar trends can be seen in the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) priority list for the coming year.    

What are your thoughts on upcoming management changes in technology for 2011?

 

Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author.