Government IT News For VARs — August 27, 2013
Business Solutions searched recent headlines for news of interest to VARs serving government organizations.
Big Data Could Save Federal Government $500 Billion
MeriTalk recently released the report, “The Smarter Uncle Sam: The Big Data Forecast.” The survey of 150 federal IT executives says those surveyed believe the government could save 14 percent on agency budgets — about $500 billion — with Big Data. Looking ahead, 51 percent of executives surveyed believe Big Data will help fulfill government issues by improving processes and efficiency. In addition, 44 percent believe it will enhance security, and 31 percent believe it will help their agencies predict trends.
Government IT Budgets Stable Worldwide
Gartner recently projected worldwide government IT budgets to total $449.5 billion in 2013—a slight decrease of 0.1 percent from last year. Despite the push to lower the cost of IT services, government organizations surveyed report spending priorities include mobile technologies, IT modernization and cloud computing as the top three areas of investment.
State-Level Official Talks About The Future Of Communications
Business2commnity.com recently interviewed Bill Schrier to find out “How The State of Washington is Evolving Its Communications Systems.” Schrier, who is with the Office of the CIO for the State of Washington, talks about NG (Next Generation) 9-1-1—and coining the phrase “Next Generation 3-1-1” for the use of social media applications and new technologies for citizens to reach their governments for service.
To read more about NG9-1-1, the standards initiative driven by industry participants for public safety communications operations, click here.
German Agency Warns Of Windows 8 Cybercrime Threat
According to an article on ioL, a security technology agency in Germany says running Windows 8 on PCs can create a vulnerability to cyber-attacks. The warning comes after reported leaks related to U.S. surveillance programs.
“Project Open Data” Provides Guidance On Sharing Data
The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy provided assistance to federal agencies on the new data-sharing mandate. Project Open Data includes resources that will help these agencies comply with the new Open Data Policy, which requires newly generated data to be shared with the public. The guidance includes how to implement the program, tools, resources, and case studies.
Former DOT CIO Describes Winning Bids
In the Information Week article, “Government IT Contract Wins: An Insider’s Perspective,” Nitin Pradhan, the former CIO of the U.S. Department of Transportation, shares information on what makes a winning technology bid. He lists having trusted external advisors, addressing the correct goals, optimizing your internal contracting shop, proving yourself a valued business partner, building capacity and capability in advance, and optimizing cost and speed of execution.