Last week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel pledged to make 2012 “the year of the mobile.” VanRoekel, a former Microsoft executive, the past managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, and the second CIO of the United States, plans to remake the way the federal government approaches mobile technology. Acknowledging that the government has lagged behind in adopting new technology, he is looking outside the government for ideas and best practices, hoping to divide the bridge between the private sector and the feds.
VanRoekel noted that the feds and the private sector are both dealing with the recent transformative IT trends, including the migration to the cloud, the consumerization of IT, and the increasing reliance on mobile devices. In light of these developments, VanRoekel created a new federal mobility strategy with six primary goals:
1. Incorporate the potential of mobile technology into federal government activities;
2. Build mobile technologies and services so they can be reused and shared among agencies and public developers;
3. Manage mobile and wireless acquisition, as well as inventory and expenses efficiently;
4. Create a government-wide foundation to provide mobility services across all agencies;
5. Promote collaboration to enhance mobility technology across government; and
6. Set up a governance structure for federal mobile efforts.
Besides leveling the IT playing field, VanRoekel believes that the new strategy will save the government money—in fact, it already has. By coordinating efforts and analyzing current technology, the administration is able to spot costly, ineffective practices, like the 21 distinct email systems employed by the Department of Agriculture. The department now has one system, which operates at a third of the cost of the former one. “We have a really great opportunity to cut costs while increasing our productivity,” said VanRoekel.
As an IT management consulting firm, we applaud the government’s proactive efforts at organization. We also believe that this strategy (and the fact that there now is one) provides a few takeaway lessons:
- Mobile technology is here to stay.
- Every business needs to have a mobile strategy.
- Employing a mobile strategy can make your business more efficient and save you money.
Not sure where to begin? NCC Data, the premier provider of IT Services in the Dallas-Fort Worth, can help. We offer more than computer network support services — as an IT management consulting firm, we can assist you in creating and employing a mobile strategy that can improve efficiency, and take advantage of the many opportunities that new technology provides.
Even Steven VanRoekel admits that the federal government lags behind most of the private sector. If your business doesn’t have a mobile strategy, it’s time to catch up. Let NCC Data help.
Tags: IT Services
