Report Highlights How Tech Convergence Could Redefine The Federal Landscape
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CompTIA, has released the Federal Technology Convergence Commission Report to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), highlighting how converged technologies could redefine government communication, cooperation, and the way federal agencies address the nation’s most significant issues. Information technology convergence has emerged as one of the most significant disruptive trends in the IT sector over the past several years. Although the ultimate results of convergence are still murky, the report engages in impact analysis and outlines a number of recommendations for action.
“These convergent technologies allow citizens to more easily communicate and engage with the government and quickly share ideas across the globe,” Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA, explains in a statement. “We see the Technology Convergence Commission Report as the first collaborative step between industry and the government to advance the adoption of emerging technologies.”
This analysis identifies convergence as a double-edged sword, as GoCertify points out. The integration of technology such as personal computing devices, social media, cloud computing, Big Data, and the Internet of Everything, can provide powerful and critical advantages to both individuals and enterprises alike, but also presents enormous challenges for cybersecurity professionals as barriers to connectivity vanish, and privacy issues loom larger than ever before. “Our connected world is giving rise to new ways to drive innovation, progress, efficiency, and value creation,” said Kay Kapoor, co-chair, TechAmerica Convergence Commission and president, AT&T Government Solutions. “This report provides insights and ideas about how key connectivity technologies used in combination can help our government improve mission delivery at home and abroad.”
The TechAmerica Convergence Commission was formed in July 2014, as a collaborative effort of technology leaders to present recommendations to the federal administration regarding the convergence of social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (SMAC) technologies. The commission offers industry insights on how to improve government services and efficiency while simultaneously driving innovation and economic growth through convergence.
“This report lays out key recommendations for using convergence in the public sector to solve big problems and build a smarter nation,” said Dave Zolet, co-chair, TechAmerica Convergence Commission and executive vice president and general manager, Americas Region, CSC. “The power of convergence affects the nature of the relationship between individual citizens, the United States as a nation, and the United States and the world.”