Federal CXOs convene to discuss OMB's 25-point IT management reform at GTRA

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(PR NewsChannel) / May 24, 2011 / WASHINGTON / Federal CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects and Chief Security Officers met at the GTRA Council Meeting to discuss strategies for supporting Vivek Kundra’s (CIO, US Federal Government) “25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management”, an action plan designed to help federal agencies achieve the productivity improvements and cost savings realized by private industry and ultimately  deliver value to taxpayers.

The Implementation plan included the “Cloud First” initiative, which states that each agency much must three or more service to the Cloud within 18-months, and a goal to reduce the number of federal data center by 800 within five years.

GTRA Research showed overwhelming support for the goal of the plan, but concern over how it could be implemented in a climate of budget challenges which was exacerbated by a more than 6-month Continuing Resolution and reduced budgets.

A Government Keynote Panel titled “ Tools & Strategies to Help You Support the 25-Point IT Management Reform Initiative with Limited Resources”  consisting of Benjamin Bergersen (CIO, Office of the Inspector General, Commerce)  Dr. Jim Rolfes (Chief Enterprise Architect, Interior) John Sullivan (Enterprise Architecture Advisor, Office of Government wide Policy, GSA) Brack Boehler (Director, IT Compliance, OCIO, Transportation) Philip Wenger (Deputy Policy Lead for Budget Formulation & Execution Line of Business, OMB) and Patrick Donovan, (CTO, Integrated Technology Services, GSA) discussed how to use Enterprise Architecture, Capital Planning & Investment Controls, and Governance to support the plan and overcome budget and cultural challenges.

“Enterprise Architecture is the foundation that everything should be built on” Mr. Boehler said after the panel.  “Investments in cloud and light technology will not be as successful unless they are grounded in a strong EA program”

Discussing the challenge of limited resources, Mr. Wenger said that “Flat and shrinking budgets provide us with real opportunities for using things in the 25 point plan to become more efficient and deliver better services.”

During a keynote panel consisting of industry though leaders such as Joe Houle (Lead Technical Architect, AT&T Chief Technology Office, AT&T Government Solutions) Paul Barter (Vice President Strategic Federal Initiatives, ExteNet Systems, Inc.), Roy Stephan (Vice President of Technology Solutions, Intelligent Decisions) and Steve Antone (Vice President of Federal Solutions, Lumension Security), attendees learned about new technologies and strategies which could be used to successfully transform an agency’s infrastructure and security posture.

“I encourage the public sector to look at innovation from smaller company’s  in supporting the 25-point plan, as well as investing in technologies that decrease costs and increase productivity.” said Mr. Stephan.

James Smith (Branch Chief and Chief Enterprise Architect, Bureau of Consular Affairs, State) shared a case study of how his agency capitalized on existing strategies to support 25-point reform and meet the various goals outlined by OMB.

“GTRA’s research showed that implementation of 25-Point Reform was by far the most important issue for IT executives during the 2011 Fiscal year, yet was complicated due to concerns over Cloud implementation and the budget crisis”, said Parham Eftekhari, Co-Founder and Director of Research,  GTRA. “Opportunities for collaboration and information exchange on this topic are critical in ensuring that agencies can leverage each other’s knowledge and achieve success on this important initiative.”

About GTRA: GTRA brings together executive-level government technology Security, Enterprise Architecture, Green IT and Health IT leaders to collaborate, strategize and create innovative solutions.  The semi-annual GTRA Technology Council Meeting address the topics identified through research with the government Council members and industry experts. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, knowledge is exchanged in a peer-to-peer forum, resulting in actionable government-wide strategic plans and cutting-edge solutions.  Through a unique collaborative methodology, GTRA is revolutionizing the way government does business.

MEDIA CONTACT
Kerri Tompkins
Executive Assistant
Government Technology Research Alliance (GTRA)
312.253.4100 Office
202.660.2448 Mobile
202.351.0569 Fax

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SOURCE: Government Technology Research Alliance

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