Vivek Kundra Thinks Cloud Computing Could Expand Data Sharing amongst Governing Levels
Outfitted by President Barack Obama as the first Federal Chief Information Officer in the nation, Vivek Kundra is reaching to freshen up Information Technology in the public sector. His earlier efforts in IT netted him acknowledgment from InfoWorld as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year and he was recently named Chief of the Year by Information Week. With other know how as CTO for Washington, D.C., Vivek Kundra has the experience to cope with the Information Technology challenges that he now has before him.
Vivek Kundra is on a charge to save the Federal government money when it comes to IT. With that in mind, he is operating, under a directive from the President, to institute a Web 2.0 administration. He believes the government owes it to its citizens to be more available and to make government easily accessible online. Therefore, he has the sizable responsibility of coordinating the IT operations across a wide spectrum of Federal government offices.
In addition, his ideal is that all information that is not private, or restricted for national security reasons, be made available to the public, which is why he launched Data.gov within a few months of taking office. He and President Obama believe that this sends a message that the government is an open book looking to inform and serve its citizens. Vivek Kundra also wants to diminish the Federal government dependence on big IT contracts.
While serving Washington, D.C. he implemented various initiatives that saved residents tax dollars. One initiative was a upgrade for D.C. employees to free Google platforms for e-mail, spreadsheets and PowerPoint. His first public move as part of the President’s administration was developing a new feature on USASpending.gov. It goes by the name “IT Dashboard.” This feature outlines U.S investments in IT and provides a timeline for project completion. He accomplished this project with New Media Director Macon Phillips.
Vivek Kundra has an IT view for America that calls for streamlining government operations via new technologies. His earlier experience at the District and State levels prepared him well for his role as the nation’s first Chief Information Officer. Knowing he must manage the government’s IT budget efficaciously, he is concentrating his creative energies on a technology strategy that encompasses innovation, transparency, and accountability.