Bijay Kumar, Rhode Island’s chief information officer, is looking beyond technology needs related to the pandemic. He’s focused on reducing technical debt and ensuring the long-term stability of state IT.
The many needs that grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic took precedence over longer-term projects in many cases. But tech leaders like Rhode Island’s Bijay Kumar maintained their focus on other strategic initiatives as well — initiatives that will outlast the tenures of current leaders.
“Administrations change, governors move on, CIOs move on, but technology stays,” he told GT at last week’s National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) conference. “It just doesn’t disappear overnight.”
In addition to reducing technical debt, Kumar is working on a number of modernization efforts, including to the state’s ERP system, as well as taking advantage of artificial intelligence and data analytics technologies.
Equally important is investing in the workforce, and maintaining high standards to ensure the people of Rhode Island are well served by their work. “We want to make sure that we keep the bar high, we continue to invest in our people along with investing in technology and we have the right partners to advance, improve as well as sustain and scale what we do.”
Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.
Lauren Kinkade is the managing editor for Government Technology magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and more than 15 years’ experience in book and magazine publishing.
