Hurricanes are notorious for disabling technology by cutting off electricity. In some cases, the threat of coming storms can overwhelm our phone systems and websites. But technology is also being used in new ways to prepare for and clean up after natural disasters, like Hurricane Irene.

As Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina on Saturday morning, millions of people up and down the East Coast braced for the worst. Despite reports that the storm had weakened, thousands of people were already evacuated and others who stayed on the coast lost power. Prior to the storm, Major League Baseball rescheduled games.  New Jersey even closed casinos for only the third time ever.

What to do?

Many websites offer quick tips and checklists to help before, during and after such weather emergencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers this checklist which helps you decide: Are You Ready?

Advanced technology is used by the National Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service and other organizations to understand hurricanes and their impacts.  

The Seattle Times offered some tips for communicating during Irene and other similar emergencies.  For example: “Cellphone companies recommend text messaging rather than calling in any disaster, because text messages use much less network capacity. They also don't use much battery power. Using Facebook and Twitter can be tempting, but try to keep usage brief and use the apps rather than web browsers if possible, to minimize network use and battery drain.”

Fox News Business offered these: Apps and Websites to Help Brace for Irene. I especially like their list of people (actually organizations) to add to your Twitter feed, from FEMA to NOAA to the the Red Cross.

 USA.gov offers these tips for recovering after hurricanes.

 Information Week reported on FEMA’s new mobile web app that can help during emergencies. I find this section to be very interesting:

   “FEMA built the application to work even when there is no mobile service so people can access the information they need to anytime on their device….

People can text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to sign up for monthly disaster safety tips; SHELTER+ their ZIP code to the same number to find the nearest shelter in their respective areas; and DRC and their ZIP code to the same number for information about the nearest disaster recovery center.”  

Government Actions:

  Governments up and down the East Coast have issued warnings, and they are implementing their preparation, evacuation & recovery plans. Offices of Public Safety are activating emergency centers and shelters, and information is being sent via a wide variety of channels, including new mobile web sources.

 For those who are not involved in the current Hurricane Irene emergency situation on the East Coast, teams are being sent from around the country to assist in the cleanup. Others are using this as an opportunity to stress hurricane readiness.

In summary, technology can help fight the negative impacts of hurricanes. Governments and citizens can learn the lessons from the past, and prepare for weather emergencies in new ways.

Governments across North America are now consolidating data centers at an unprecedented pace. This is not just talk, but real action is (finally) occurring. Welcome to the “new normal” in global technology efficiency, with federal, state, local and even international governments participating.

Want proof that this is happening? Here are a few example articles and some excerpts from each:

  The Canadian Government is closing nearly all of their datacenters.

"Canada’s government announced Thursday, Aug. 4, it will shut down more than 90 percent of its 300 data centers, leaving the nation with fewer than 20 when the plan is complete.

In addition, Canada’s government will make the move away from 100 different e-mail platforms to one all-encompassing system. Furthermore, all resources associated with the delivery of e-mail, data center and network services are being transferred from 44 departments and agencies to a new entity called Shared Services Canada."

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is moving aggressively to close data centers right now.

"As part of broader Defense Department plans to streamline IT operations and meet mandated efficiency requirements, 44 military data centers will be closed by the end of the fiscal year, according to DOD CIO Teri Takai.

'As we look to improve efficiency, one of our ongoing targets is the management and use of data centers. We have closed eight data centers since the IT Reform plan was published, and we intend to close another 44 by the end of FY2011,' Takai wrote in a blog poston cio.gov. 'DOD remains committed to identifying candidates for data center closure and consolidation in support of the [defense secretary’s] efficiency efforts and the IT Reform plan goal of closing 800 federal data centers by 2015.'”

Other federal agencies are closing data centers. The federal overall opportunity for savings may be as high as $18.8 billion.

"Federal agencies could save $18.8 billion¹ from their data center consolidation efforts, according to a new study from MeriTalk, the government information technology (IT) network. That amount could pay the entire combined IT bill for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of the Interior for a year."

Minnesota and other states are consolidating data centers.  

"In a joint press release of the Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology and Minnesota Management and Budget agency, the state announced that it is seeking to reduce its current data center count from 36 to only 2 to 4 within five years."

Local governments are even getting involved with New York and San Francisco consolidating their services. In the specific case of New York City:

"A new 18,000 square-foot data center in downtown Brooklyn opened Monday, which is designed to consolidate the technology infrastructure of 19 agencies over the next year and that of more than 40 agencies over the next five years….

The new consolidated data center will cost the city $11.7 million in equipment fees and another $2.7 million a year to lease the space at the MetroTech Center, but will ultimately help the city save about $100 million over the five-year period alone."

Why are they consolidating?

First of all, closing data centers clearly saves dollars. “The Obama administration expects to save $3 billion over the next four years by consolidating 800 data centers, including 137 this year.”

Second, consolidating data centers can improve security and agility:

"The simple fact is, cloud computing and datacenter consolidation, when implemented smartly and with a detailed plan in mind, can make your data and services MORE SECURE than your traditional datacenter environment can.

In addition to the cost savings, agility, flexibility, transparency and other benefits that cloud services and datacenter consolidation bring to the federal government, they can help to make federal agencies more secure."

Third, this trend paves the way for cloud computing. As EMC says here, you can streamline your infrastructure through consolidation and prepare for virtualized data centers and private cloud computing. I agree, and also add that hybrid and public cloud use are certainly next for most of us.

Are there any downsides to closing datacenters?

There are several sources that say consolidating data centers introduces more complexity. Others find it difficult to quantify savings because they can’t fully measure current costs, or they struggle to come to grips with an overall loss of jobs.  Some colleagues mention that various states have struggled in data center consolidation. Still, this “boat” has now officially left the dock. Government IT executives need to embrace this critical opportunity.

In Michigan, we have seen huge benefits to the consolidation of data centers over the past decade. We have closed 37 datacenters and moved to three core data centers for daily operations. We also back each other up across a government-owned fiber infrastructure that connects buildings in Lansing area.  We have used this success as a launching pad to wider IT consolidation efforts.

Utah is another state to look at regarding data center consolidation. They have an excellent technology management story to tell across all business areas, and their consolidated government portal has also won many awards.

In conclusion, you can see a nice executive summary on data center consolidation in the states from this Center for Digital Government Issue Brief. Another excellent summary is available from the federal General Account Office (GAO-11-565) which summarizes a number of government initiatives. The report is entitled: Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Need to Complete Inventories and Plans to Achieve Expected Savings.

The National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) sponsored a survey on data center consolidation back in 2007 which is still worth reviewing for context. You can download Survey on Enterprise Data Center Consolidation in the States: Strategies and Business Justification or visit a more recent overview from Deltek/Input which covers the same state/local consolidation topic in 2011. There are also plenty of other excellent technology-related research publications to review at the NASCIO website as well.

 Data center consolidation has become the new normal across the globe. All governments have an opportunity to do more in this area.  I urge readers to "get in the game," if they haven't done so already. 

The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) is holding its annual meeting in Nashville, TN, this week, and the focus is all about ways to strengthen partnerships. Indeed, the meetings are being held simultaneously with the GFIRST Annual Conference and the InfraGard National Congress to facilitate many joint meetings.  At least 45 state governments, numerous local governments and many U.S. territories are represented at these MS-ISAC meetings, with most states having 2-3 representatives.

  From the initial meeting overview and charge given by Will Pelgrin to the welcome messages Bobbie Stempfley, acting assistant secretary of the DHS Office of Cyber Security and Communications, the meetings highlighted the cyber risks and partnership examples. Even during the role call list and comments from the government representatives in the audience, the discussion topics kept coming back to ways that states and locals can work together with DHS and the MS-ISAC to improve information sharing, solve complex cyber problems and provide best practice solutions to members.

 The meeting topics included break-out sessions for new members, services provided by the MS-ISAC, legal issues and legislation needed, security metrics and operations as well as other cyber issues. Each group reported out and described opportunities to work together and show value in their joint efforts. Afternoon breakout sessions included best-practice presentations from a variety of states.

 Tuesday morning sessions were combined with the plenary sessions of the GFIRST conference, and the opening keynote was offered by DHS Acting Deputy Undersecretary NPPD Greg Schaffer.  The Acting Undersecretary also discussed the many partnerships and changes over the past few years in the cyber activities within the federal and state governments. He described advancements in EINSTEIN, Trusted Internet Connections (TIC), Cyberstorm Exercises, The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), the important paper on a healthy cyber ecosystem and the International Strategy for Cyberspace. The address also discussed advances in awareness and training, and reminded the audience about current cybersecurity awareness month plans.

 In each case, Mr. Schaffer emphasized the importance of partnerships. From the public sector working with the private sector to the local governments working with states and federal agencies, he highlighted the importance of a business perspective with measureable results. He challenged the audience that “gets it” to carry the message to CFOs and CEOs across America who need to act as well.

 The opening keynote closed with highlights of upcoming cyber legislation which will:

-          Clarify authorities

-          Enhance penalties for cyber crime

-          Reform FISMA

-          Add mandatory requirements for protecting critical infrastructure – with private sector buy-in into specifics

Bottom line, the entire set of cyber sessions that I attended over several days focused on new and stronger partnerships. I really like what Cheri McGuire from Symantec said in summary during an afternoon panel:

Partnership Goals include –

1)      Managing Risk

2)      Improving Resiliency

3)      Collaboration and Coordination

It was great to see that message in action over the past several days. If your state is not involved, I urge you to engage in these essential discussions regarding cyber and critical infrastructure partnerships.

Any thoughts on the MS-ISAC meetings or GFIRST 2011?

The string of major cyber hacking attacks continued this week, with ManTech International reportedly being the latest company hit. According to Computerworld Magazine:

 “As promised, members of the Anonymous hacking movement have released hundreds of megabytes of documents that they say were stolen from government security contractor ManTech.

The data released on the Pirate Bay file-sharing site late Friday contain nearly 400 megabytes of documents -- spreadsheets, résumés, planning documents, even photographs -- that appear to have come from the government contractor….

Anonymous said it was releasing the data to embarrass the government contractor, which recently signed a five-year deal to provide managed security services for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The list of government agencies and contractors that have been hacked by the group Anonymous is nothing short of astounding. From Apple to NATO, and from India to Turkey, the hacking headlines continue on almost a daily basis.

 Yes, some of suspected Anonymous hackers were recently arrested.   Still, many more appear to be at large.

In a related turn of events, Anonymous computers were hacked by a former member named Ryan Cleary, who was reportedly angry with the group’s governance structure. According to one UK website, Mr. Cleary and some friends had now formed a splinter hacking group.

If you are feeling a bit uneasy by these events – you're not alone. All of this hacking seems far to easy, although the skills and abilities of these illegal organizations should not be underestimated. As I have stated in numerous blog entries over at CSO.com (see: Lohrmann on GovSpace), the bad guys are way ahead of the good guys right now. This is a battle which won’t be ending soon.  

What’s can be done by state and local governments? Network World offered these “7 Ways to Avoid Being Hacked by Anonymous.” It’s a nice list, but offers the same basic advice given to governments and corporations for several years. We all need better passwords, security patches and end-user awareness training – and yes, it is difficult to keep these things going over the long-term. The hackers only need to be right once - but our job never ends.

On a more personal note, this latest ManTech hack hits a bit closer to home. I’ve received several emails over the past few days saying things like, “Check this out - didn’t you work for ManTech?”

Yes, I did work for ManTech as a Technical Director for four years in UK in the mid-1990s, and I still have friends there. They are a good company, and I have many fond memories of our life in North Yorkshire, England. I certainly wish them all the best as they recover from this situation.

 Any thoughts you can share on the recent string of hacking attacks? Any stories to share about what your government is doing to protect citizen information?

Going “Back to the Future” may no longer be just for the movies.  The intelligence community has launched a new project which attempts to predict what will happen next by using crowdsourcing techniques.

According to Government Computer News (GCN), “The beta Aggregative Contingent Estimation system (ACES) website, called Forecasting Ace, is funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. It launched July 15.”

If you visit the Forecasting ACE website, you are immediately greeted with the enticing words, “Predict the FUTURE With Us.” You are also asked intriguing questions that draw you in (along with thoughtful answers provided via YouTube video):

-          What is this project about?

-          Why should I join?

-          What is the purpose of this project?

-          Why me?

The Forecasting Ace website offers several example forecasting problems by category, such as:

-          Social

• What is the probability that the WHO will declare a flu pandemic in 2011?
• Will the IOC select Annecy, France as the site for the 2018 Winter Olympics?
• Will the Toyota Prius rank in the top 5 of the 2011 US News and World Report rankings for hybrid cars?
• What is the probability that at least one Democrat other than President Obama will file for the New Hampshire primary by 12/31/11?
• Estimate the change in spending on education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• How many members will Facebook have by the end of 2011?
• What is the probability that the 2011 Nobel Prize in literature will be awarded to a writer from a 3rd world country?
• Will the 2011-2012 NFL season include 18 rather than 16 regular season games without interruption (strike)?
• What is the probability that both the NFL and NBA 2011 seasons will not start as scheduled because of labor disputes between the owners and the players?
• What is the probability that Harvard will be first (or tied for first) in the US News and World Report's listing of top colleges for 2012?

 Other example forecasting questions fall under these categories:

-          Politics

-          Economics

-          Science and Technology

-          Military

What’s interesting about this website is how it draws you in. After seeing the examples, you are invited to “Try it Live.” I clicked on the box and was asked:

Which question(s) would you like to answer?

• Will the average price of gasoline in the U.S. exceed $3.90 on July 31, 2011?
• Will the value of the Euro in US dollars be at least 10% lower on August 31, 2011 than on July 31, 2011?

 Government technology and business teams can use this technology in a variety of different ways, such as gauging public interest on various mobile applications before you spend the time and money to deploy the app.  Asking someone, “Which of these three applications will do better in a year?” is similar to gauging which of the choices do they prefer now.  

On a personal level, I find this concept to be very interesting and attractive. Not only is the underlying science helpful, the results have a TV game show feeling. (I find myself wanting to know what the “survey said” for each question.) Initially, I think many people in society will find this to be fun, although we’ll see if that “new” feel lasts. My gut tells me that this will become a trend for many aspects of life – from marketing products to predicting which movies will succeed at the box office.

More important, this new crowdsourcing method of scientific prediction may bring further proof to the age-old adage:  “Perception is reality.”  

What are your thoughts on using crowdsourcing to predict the future?