MeriTalk today announced the results of its Do It Yourself (DIY) Federal IT Bailout Report, identifying billions of dollars in potential federal IT savings. Examining a three-year spending snapshot, the report identifies potential savings from open source, virtualization, and cloud computing/software as a service (SaaS):

• $3.7 billion from open source, a development approach using non-proprietary code
• $13.3B from virtualization, the process of maximizing infrastructure by creating virtual versions of servers, storage devices and network resources
• $6.6B from cloud computing/SaaS, hosting applications as services and delivering via the Internet.

President Obama's administration is redefining IT's role in developing a 21st-century government -- from agency investments and management agendas to healthcare, public safety and energy policy initiatives, according a release from MeriTalk. While the promise for IT to drive change is exciting, the budget reality is brutal. Without new funds, IT needs to generate its own funding by changing the economics of existing programs.

Stretching Uncle Sam's Dollar

"As federal agencies prepare to tighten their IT-budget belts, it is paramount that each and every IT investment be justifiable in supporting the agencies' missions and service to American citizens," said Peter Tseronis, deputy associate chief information officer, Department of Energy. "The DIY Federal IT Bailout Report and the May 21 Federal IT on a Budget Forum focus on how federal government executives can reduce the cost of sustaining IT programs and thereby free up funds for critical new IT investments."

Finding the Change: Improving the Federal IT Toolbox

To help agencies understand more about using innovative technologies to stretch their Federal IT dollars, MeriTalk is:

• Hosting the DIY Federal IT Bailout Webinar on March 10. The complimentary Webinar will explore how agencies can generate new IT funding by deploying innovative technology approaches.
• Launching the DIY Federal IT Calculator, an online tool which enables agencies to calculate how much they can save by using Open Source, Virtualization, or Cloud Computing/SaaS.
• Hosting the Federal IT on a Budget Forum on May 21, 2009, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The free, full-day event will bring together government IT professionals and industry thought leaders to dialogue, debate, and collaborate on how innovative technologies can stretch the Federal IT dollar.
• Inviting the Federal IT community to talk about these issues and their own experience.

Developed as a partnership among the Federal Business Council; Federal Employee Defense Services; Federal Managers Association; GovLoop; National Treasury Employees Union, the largest Federal workforce union; New Ideas for Government; United Service Organizations; and WTOP/WFED radio, MeriTalk is a community site.