Everywhere government looks, budgets are shrinking. Federal government’s IT spending will be cut by $2.4 billion in 2015. State and local governments will also suffer decreases in IT and support service budgets. Contrast that to IT spending in the private sector, which is predicted to increase to $3.8 trillion as technology companies continue to offerRead… Read more »
Oakland has a new School Superintendent. I like him, partly because of the following statement he dropped at a meeting of the Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority recently. All the city and county heavy-hitters were there, discussing the possibility of hiring an out-of-state firm to do a data report on Oakland. There was much debateRead… Read more »
Standing between the federal government and improved delivery of services is the data skills gap. Federal managers worry that prospective employees entering the job market lack the analytical skills, statistical competencies and technical proficiency needed to understand the federal government’s large and complex datasets. The data skills gap comes at a time when federal governmentRead… Read more »
Imagine if a scientist spent a year – every hour of every day – on a single task. The person would account for 8,760 hours of work and need one serious nap. Now imagine if the scientist put out a compelling request for help, and volunteers interested in the problem answered the call. I grew up in aRead… Read more »
You’ve probably heard a lot about the mounting threat of cyberattacks and the need for government organizations to safeguard their information environment against them. Recent events like the USIS breach only amplify anxiety over cybersecurity. But is all this hype really merited? You may be questioning whether the threat of cybersecurity is overinflated or fleeting. Well, we’re hereRead… Read more »
On Tuesday, December 9, leaders from industry, government and academia are joining together to discuss the latest developments with big data technologies, usage and analytics Cloudera and Carahsoft will sponsor the Tidewater Big Data Event, which will include presentations, lightning talks and demonstrations from big data experts. The event will take place from 8:30-4 atRead… Read more »
Pop quiz: what’s the biggest cybersecurity threat to your IT system? A. Inadequate security technology B. Malicious employees C. You It might surprise you to learn the answer is often C. In light of the seemingly never-ending string of data breaches and cyber attacks in the news – from Target, to Home Depot, to celebrityRead… Read more »
Some people are natural born writers who can easily string together concise messages with little to no effort. The rest of us are “writers-in-progress” who know it takes time to craft an effective business message. The best approach to strong business writing is varied and based on the several things: Solid research Editing skills TurningRead… Read more »
Some things to consider before choosing your plan.
Rethinking government’s business model is as critical to innovation as is technology modernization. Agencies use technology to deliver better value to customers. But technology can drive organizational change in unexpected ways. Business model change is central to doing something different to get a better result. A business model is the way an organization is structuredRead… Read more »