Public CIO Magazine August September 2011

A PUBLICATION OF E.REPUBLIC OF PUBLICATION A

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR  AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 VOL.9 | 4 ISSUE

A LOOK AT THE FEDERAL CIO’S LEGACY AND THE CHALLENGES FACING HIS SUCCESSOR

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FORMER FEDERAL

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER AUGUST/SEPTEMBER CIO VIVEK KUNDRA

COVER STORY 8 Kundra Signs Off Vivek Kundra’s tenure as federal CIO spurred radical change in government IT implementations, but his successor will find many of the same challenges. By Brian Heaton

Cover photo Spencer Heyfron KIDD DAVID CONTENTS

24 FEATURES 16 30 Gadgets vs. Networks Raising Your Profile

Government employees demand to use A CIO’s work is vital, but does everyone , 100 should be their personal mobile devices for work, know it? Six steps for communicating so CIOs discuss how to respond to the your value. cultural shift.

By Eva Neumann CA 95630. oad Folsom, By Andy Opsahl 22 34 CIO Public Government Technology’s Challenging Money Matters R epublic, Inc. 100 Blue Ravine Taking less salary to work as a government

the Status Quo CA 95630. (916) 932-1300. Folsom, Road , 100 Blue Ravine Chief Innovation Officer Bryan Sivak CIO isn’t just about serving the public.

explains why failure is a necessary By Colin Wood Send address change to ostmaster:

www.public-cio.com [3] TOM McKEITH TOM Periodicals Postage paid at Folsom, CA and additional offices. P paid at Folsom, Postage Periodicals Government Technology’s Public CIO Public Government Technology’s Government Technology’s P directed to Government Technology’s Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 Copyright 2011 by e.R Folsom, Road Blue Ravine

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Publisher: Jon Fyffe [email protected] EDITORIAL Editor: Steve Towns [email protected] Associate Editors: Jessica B. Mulholland [email protected] FEATURES Chad Vander Veen [email protected] Matt Williams [email protected] Elaine Pittman [email protected] Chief Copy Editor: Miriam Jones [email protected] Social Media Managing Editor: Karen Stewartson [email protected] 38 Features Editor: Andy Opsahl [email protected] vs. Free Speech Staff Writer: Brian Heaton [email protected] As social networking becomes a part Contributing Writer: Colin Wood of government employee workflow, DESIGN First Amendment rights are being Creative Director: Kelly Martinelli [email protected] challenged. Art Director: Michelle Hamm [email protected] Senior Designer: Crystal Hopson [email protected] By Brian Heaton Illustrator: Tom McKeith [email protected] 40 SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Production Director: Stephan Widmaier [email protected] Production Manager: Joei Heart [email protected]

PUBLISHING Group Publisher: Don Pearson [email protected] Regional Sales Directors: Leslie Hunter [email protected] DEPARTMENTS EAST Shelley Ballard [email protected] WEST, CENTRAL Account Managers: Melissa Cano [email protected] CIO Central CTO Strategies EAST 42 48 Erin Gross [email protected] News, Reviews and Careers Outages Happen: Are You Ready? WEST, CENTRAL Business Development Dir.: Glenn Swenson [email protected] By Dan Lohrmann Bus. Dev. Managers: John Enright [email protected] Lisa Doughty [email protected] Kevin May [email protected] Exec. Coordinator to Publisher: Julie Murphy [email protected] 46 FastGov 50 CIO2 Regional Sales The shifting sands of public-sector IT. The Cost of Nice Administrator: Christine Childs [email protected] National Sales Admin.: Jennifer Valdez [email protected] By Paul W. Taylor By Andy Blumenthal Dir. of Marketing: Andrea Kleinbardt [email protected] Sr. Dir. of Custom Events: Whitney Sweet [email protected] Dir. of Custom Events Lana Herrera [email protected] Custom Events Managers: Tanya Noujaim [email protected] Katey Lamke [email protected] Gina Fabrocini [email protected] Custom Events Coordinator: Megan Turco [email protected] Custom Events Admin.: Sharon Remeiro [email protected] UP FRONT Dir. of Custom Media: Stacey Toles [email protected] Custom Media Editor: Emily Montandon [email protected] Sr. Custom Media Writer: Jim Meyers [email protected] Introduction Custom Media Writer: Noelle Knell [email protected] 6 Custom Media Proj. Asst.: Courtney Hardy [email protected] Kundra’s replacement must continue collaboration. Dir. of Web Products and Services: Zach Presnall [email protected] Web Services Manager: Peter Simek [email protected] Custom Web Products Manager: Michelle Mrotek [email protected] Web Advertising Manager: Julie Dedeaux [email protected] Web Svcs/Proj. Manager: Adam Fowler [email protected] Subscription Coordinator: Eenie Yang [email protected]

CORPORATE CEO: Dennis McKenna [email protected] Executive VP: Don Pearson [email protected] Executive VP: Cathilea Robinett [email protected] Executive Editor: Steve Towns [email protected] CAO: Lisa Bernard [email protected] CFO: Paul Harney [email protected] Special Report VP of Events: Alan Cox [email protected] This month Public CIO launches a series of special Chief Marketing Officer: Margaret Mohr [email protected] reports researched and written by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government. These quarterly reports examine critical technology issues facing public CIOs, starting with an in-depth look at mobility.

Download your copy at www.public-cio.com/reports. Government Technology’s Public CIO is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2011 by e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. Article submissions should be sent to the attention of the Managing Editor. Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries for reprints and licensing to Wright’s Media: (877) 652-5295, [email protected]. Subscription Information: Requests for subscriptions may be directed to Subscription Coordinator by phone at (916) 932-1300. You can also subscribe online at www.govtech.com.

e The inside pages of this publication are printed on 80 percent de-inked recycled fiber. A publication of © 2007 MA G A ZINE OF THE YEA R 2008 Silver Folio: Editorial Excellence Award [4] PRINTED IN THE USA

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go A DATA CENTER THAT’S EXPANDING BUT A BUDGET THAT ISN’T.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go [ INTRODUCTION ]

BY S TEVE TO WNS

Fed CIO Needs a Broad View

n the last issue of Public CIO, I the task before him. It’ll be his job to But as VanRoekel confronts these wrote about the potential for stron- push forward Kundra’s ambitious data internal challenges, he’ll also need to ger cooperation between federal and center consolidation, which envisions continue Kundra’s legacy of involv- Istate government, noting that Vivek closing 800 federal data center facili- ing state and local governments in IT Kundra was a champion for more ties by 2015. In addition, he’ll lead the program decisions. Kundra ushered in intergovernmental dialog and better shift toward cloud services, expanding a sea change in relations between the cooperation. Here we are a few months open government efforts and improv- federal government and state CIOs — later contemplating what Kundra’s ing the efficiency of federal IT projects. and state IT leaders were understand- departure as federal CIO means for On a conference call with reporters, ably anxious about his replacement. state/federal collaboration and a host VanRoekel said his stint with the FCC The feds spend hundreds of billions of of other matters. prepared him for the task of moving dollars on state-operated transporta- As most of you know, Kundra left federal agencies toward new IT busi- tion, health-care and social services the CIO post in August to accept a fel- ness models. “I had the experience of programs. And meaningful state/fed- lowship at Harvard University. In his really taking an agency that hadn’t eral cooperation on IT systems that place, President Barack Obama select- done a lot on technology and hadn’t deliver these programs is critical to ed Steven L. VanRoekel, who started embraced a lot of the work that Vivek’s effective use of that money. work on Aug. 5. team had done, and driving a lot of the VanRoekel noted that much of his VanRoekel comes to the job with a initiative there,” he said. private-sector career was focused on mix of federal government and pri- On the same call, Jeffrey Zients, depu- Web services and XML technologies, vate-sector experience. From 1994 to ty director for the Office of Management which are fundamental to cross-orga- 2009, he was an executive at Microsoft, and Budget and federal chief perfor- nizational shared services. “That theme ultimately serving as senior director mance officer, said the Obama admin- will carry forward into government for the company’s Windows Server and istration will look to VanRoekel to close service and not only cross-agency col- Tools Division. VanRoekel also spent the “technology gap” between the federal laboration inside the federal space, but several years as managing director government and private industry. “If you also the state space,” he said. of the FCC and, at the time of his look at the private sector over the past Maintaining and building on the appointment, was executive director of couple of decades, it has achieved pro- momentum Kundra created for inter- citizen and organization engagement ductivity gains of 1.5 to 2 percent year governmental collaboration will be one at the U.S. Agency for International over year,” Zients said. “The federal gov- key to VanRoekel’s success — and it’s Development. ernment has largely missed out on these vital for a nation that can’t afford to It’s likely that VanRoekel will need gains, and the root cause too often is its waste scarce budget dollars on inef- every ounce of that experience — both failure to leverage the power of informa- fi cient technology. ¨ public and private — as he confronts tion technology.”

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BY BRIAN HEATON | STAFF WRITER SignsKundra Off Vivek Kundra’s tenure as federal CIO spurred radical change in government I

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go f SPENCER HEYFRON t IT implementations, but his successor will ﬁ nd many of the same challenges.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go COVERSTORY

When Vivek Kundra was selected as the fi rst federal CIO by President Barack Obama in March 2009, the appointment came with some tricky marching orders. In addition to managing the government’s IT operations, Kundra had to fi nd a way to incorporate the latest tech advancements Winto federal agency IT implementations — and do so in the most cost-efficient manner.

His efforts were largely successful. “A lot of times I think we are Kundra, who stepped down in brought in at the end of the game, August for a fellowship at Harvard where a lot of the decisions have been University, is credited by the Obama made, and a project is developed by administration with saving taxpayers the federal government and then more than $3 billion by scrutinizing handed to us, and we’re supposed IT spending and identifying under- deploy it now and fi nd the right solu- performing projects. tion to meet a federal mandate,” But outside the Beltway, Kundra’s Decker said. “Vivek has been very legacy is less about money and more instrumental in saying, ‘Let’s see about his pointed efforts to communi- what the states think of this,’ [and cate with state and local government asking] ... ‘Is this something your officials while giving their IT issues a state can manage?’ ... rather than voice at the federal level. saying, ‘Here it is, just go do it.’” Sean Vinck, CIO of Illinois, called Stanley “Bill” Rogers, CIO of New

Kundra the “Suze Orman of govern- Hampshire, said that while he’s KIDD DAVID ment information technology” for only been on the job in the Granite his ability to empower people to State for four or fi ve months, as the status of federal IT projects, was manage their IT affairs. Vinck added someone who has worked in large created, as was a “cloud fi rst” policy, that Kundra’s experience as CTO of global corporations, he thought that which requires federal agencies to Washington, D.C., was invaluable, Kundra’s work was top-notch. look at cloud technology before as the perspective allowed him to “He brought on board some inno- buying new computer systems. understand what federal practices vative ideas, and it was like trying In addition, Kundra instituted would harm state and local IT efforts. to turn a cruise ship in the middle TechStat Accountability Sessions, “He knew that if the federal of the ocean,” Rogers said. “What during which he met with agency government was not disciplined on Vivek did is what a successful CIO leaders to discuss IT projects that how it articulated and communi- needs to do — bring people together, were behind schedule or inefficient, cated new regulations and programs align goals and be a resource.” and sought to improve them. The to state governments, they could Federal Data Center Consolidation produce confusion, inefficiency A GAME CHANGER Initiative, a plan to signifi cantly reduce and increased costs,” Vinck said. During Kundra’s more than two the U.S. government’s 2,000-plus data And prior to Kundra’s arrival, years as federal CIO, myriad federal centers, is also ongoing, with 195 Nebraska CIO Brenda Decker said IT advancements were made. His scheduled to shut down by the end of that she and many of her colleagues 25 Point Plan to Reform Federal IT the year. felt that states were often an after- Management laid down a strategy to In a June blog entry on Cio.gov, thought in federal policymaking — harness new technology in a fi scally Richard Spires, CIO of the U.S. even when those decisions directly sensible but fl exible manner. Department of Homeland Security impacted states. But Kundra made To increase government transpar- and vice chairman of the Federal great strides to overcome that. ency, Data.gov, a dashboard to track CIO Council, called Kundra a “strong

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go was a new one as the federal CIO; his for a long time. We’ll have the the expectations weren’t really opportunity to explore those things NEW HAMPSHIRE defi ned, so he could walk in and without people second-guessing CIO BILL ROGERS be that change agent. He put that whether we’re ‘losing it’ or not.” SAYS KUNDRA WAS vision and framework in place.” a catalyst for Calvin Rhodes, CIO of Georgia, WHAT’S NEXT innovation. believed the push for open data Steven L. VanRoekel was appointed will be the most vivid memory of by Obama as Kundra’s successor Kundra’s time as federal CIO. “It’ll on Aug. 4 and jumped in the fi re be years before you’ll see the many immediately, starting the next day. benefi ts of people using all that data,” Former managing director of the FCC, VanRoekel’s last post was as executive director of citizen and organization engagement at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides economic and humanitarian aid to people worldwide. He also spent 15 years as a Microsoft executive. But VanRoekel’s lack of CIO experience may be an issue in regard to success, said Andrea DiMaio, lead government IT analyst at Gartner, an IT and research advisory company. DiMaio quickly pointed out, however, that Kundra also had limited work as CTO of Washington, D.C., and no federal background force for open govern- before taking the federal CIO job. STEVEN L. ment” and credited him “[Kundra] was able to both drive VANROEKEL with changing the dialog innovation and gain credibility and viewpoint of federal among CIOs, some of whom were government agencies. certainly skeptical about his appoint- Kundra’s efforts are highly regarded he said. “That’ll be his lasting legacy ment,” he said. “Keeping an outsider in the private sector as well. Jay — to have the vision to make that view, being able to challenge the Kalath, vice president and CTO of data available to citizens, the private common wisdom and using the same ARRAY Information Technology, an sector and government entities.” prove-me-wrong approach that Vivek IT management and consulting fi rm, Decker added that Kundra’s used through most of his tenure is said Kundra put in a framework at push toward open government something that Steve should pursue.” the federal level that hits many of and cloud technology, and how it Prior to VanRoekel being the areas the technology industry has trickled down to the state level, named federal CIO, state CIOs had been discussing for quite awhile. made her feel more comfortable with plenty to say about what chal- Kalath was particularly enam- pursuing outside-of-the-box ideas. lenges and expectations await ored with Kundra’s 25 Point Plan, “You always had this feeling the nation’s new IT leader. and added that the cloud-fi rst and previously that nobody was really Rogers said the federal budget shared solutions approach has made using this stuff and, ‘Am I out here crunch will make it difficult for federal IT implementations much on the bleeding edge of some- federal agencies to invest in new more modular. “One thing he’s really thing?’” Decker said. “And I think technologies while maintaining their done is push the adoption of change that is something [Kundra] really current operations. He emphasized a lot more,” Kalath said. “His role did that’s going to be a legacy of that the next federal CIO will be

www.public-cio.com [11]

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CALVIN RHODES, CIO OF GEORGIA, SAYS KUNDRA’S LEGACY WILL BE his passion for open data. DAVID KIDD DAVID

knee-deep in standardization, data not too little. “Kundra’s whole federal agencies center consolidation and the move tenure was about, ‘We’re spending are speaking with to cloud computing — while also a hell of a lot of money and we’re a unifi ed voice.” contending with funding challenges. not getting where we need to get,’” Decker said the “You have to spend some money Vinck said, adding that solving IT need for clarity goes in the beginning to get projects challenges is more a function of beyond health care. implemented,” Rogers said. management strategy and fl exibility. She said vague or Kalath agreed. He said Kundra’s Vinck said health-care reform confusing federal ANDREA DIMAIO, cloud-fi rst policy and the entirety should be a priority for the new initiatives were a regular LEAD GOVERNMENT IT of the shared services IT model federal CIO. He called the time- occurrence in the course of IT ANALYST AT GARTNER, he was trying to establish are lines and objectives of the federal business between the states SAYS THE NEW CIO going to be judged over the next Affordable Care Act of 2010 — which and Uncle Sam. “That’s one SHOULD CONTINUE 12-18 months, and money will be involves the states establishing health of the things we tried to work KUNDRA’S WORK. needed to see them through. benefi t exchanges by 2014 — “ambi- with Vivek on, and I think he “The budget is going to be tious.” His concern is that some states was making some headway, a concern,” Kalath said. “Not won’t be able to meet the deadlines but not as much and as directly because we are trying to without clear federal guidance. quickly as everyone wished he had.” do reductions to programs, but “Unless the federal government Decker also expects work on there will be costs in adapting to has a game plan that is concise some of Kundra’s initiatives to this model and the transition.” and realistic ... we will not meet slow down while his replacement Vinck wasn’t so sure. He acknowl- those time frames,” Vinck said. “It is gets situated. “I think there will be edged that resources will always absolutely critical that [Kundra’s] some things that will stumble and be a challenge, but said Kundra’s successor understand that and stall for a period of time, if for no message was that the federal govern- realize his mission is to shepherd other reason than people aren’t ment spends too much on technology, those agencies and make it so that going to operate for fear of what

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go A Transparent Solution

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go COVERSTORY

will happen next and what the next Kalath stressed the need for the and its challenges are different. person will do,” Decker explained. next federal CIO to ride the wave of “I think it’s likelier that someone Kalath said one of the most impor- change that Kundra started in the can build on the successes Kundra tant things Kundra’s successor must government IT community, which had if they have some relevant tackle is assisting federal agencies starts with communication and public-sector experience,” Vinck said. in adapting to a cloud-fi rst way of establishing expectations. “You need “Having said that, I’m a person who IT implementation. Larger agen- someone who understands the federal believes the best answers can come cies might have an easier time due arena, but at the same time, needs from surprising sources. But my point to their resources, but mid-size and to be a change agent,” Kalath said. would be that the idiosyncrasies of the public sector are not self-evident ... to people whose backgrounds are KUNDRA GAINED primarily in the private sector. So CREDIBILITY AMONG there would be a learning curve.” CIOS, SOME OF WHOM With VanRoekel now on the job, WERE SKEPTICAL OF DiMaio agreed with state CIOs that HIS APPOINTMENT. many of the same challenges Kundra dealt with still exist, particularly when it comes to executing ideas. DiMaio said pursuing greater centralization or trying to exercise more control over how federal agencies spend IT dollars might be a tough sell before the 2012 presidential election. Instead of reinventing the wheel, he suggested that VanRoekel might be best served by simply

DAVID KIDD DAVID continuing the work Kundra started. “Reinforcing most of Vivek’s [25 smaller agencies will need help. Decker agreed and said she Point Plan] from the point of view “You brought in someone like felt the most important creden- of increasing rather than reducing Kundra who was an IT/tech agent tial would be the ability to appre- choice would be a good start,” DiMaio who had a fresh perspective ... who ciate the IT needs and concerns said. “In the last few months, Vivek opened up the hood and made a fair of all levels of government. had moved in this direction, looking assessment of [government IT] without “It was very fortuitous for us at how agencies may benefi t them- focusing on one agency or another,” that it was someone who came from selves from his TechStat efforts, or Kalath said. “Now some of the things the local level and knew what we suggesting that cloud adoption is a that are going to be hard are that dealt with as states,” Decker said choice, rather than an obligation.” no two agencies are alike. It really of Kundra’s appointment in 2009. VanRoekel, in a conference call depends on looking at those agen- “But I don’t want to close my eyes with reporters on Aug. 4, said he cies and putting fair expectations on to the fact that there are talented planned to do just that. The new [them] in terms of how to adopt [the people out there [with only a] federal CIO made a point of saying cloud]. I think the requirements are federal background. I think with there won’t be much difference there, but it is going to be a challenge.” the right set of skills, a person between the way Kundra handled the could succeed without having that job and the way he envisions doing it. FILLING THE SHOES hands-on [local] experience.” “I consider a very large percentage Decker, Kalath, Rhodes, Rogers Vinck said that fi rst and fore- of my job is carrying that torch and Vinck agreed that while a most, the next federal CIO must be forward on the great work that has broad range of experience is a a diplomat who is skilled enough been done,” VanRoekel said. “A lot of key factor in a federal CIO, the in the private sector to bring forth that great work is attributed to the biggest need is for someone who advancements, but sensitive to team that is still here, and so I am excels at being a communicator. how and why the public sector going to keep working with that.” ¨

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES DEMAND TO USE THEIR PERSONAL MOBILE DEVICES FOR WORK, SO CIOS DISCUSS HOW TO RESPOND TO THE CULTURAL SHIFT. SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go ITH DAZZLING GADGETS like iPads and Androids flooding the market, people who weren’t techies before are becoming Wgeekier by the year. And CIOs get it. They know that a growing percentage of the government work force is conducting business on personal mobile devices.

BY ANDY OPSAHL | FEATURES EDITOR

Gadgetsvs.

Networkswww.public-cio.com [17]

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Decker is right about the cost advantage. A pilot project that subsidizes data plans on personal devices for “I CARRY TWO employees in the Delaware Department of Technology and Information already has produced tangible savings. DEVICES — ONE “We’ve seen about a 20 percent reduction in our wireless FOR PERSONAL USE, costs and an 18 percent reduction in the number of state- owned devices in that department,” said William Hickox, ONE FOR STATE USE Delaware’s chief operating officer. His staff recently sub- — AND I HAVE TO mitted fi ndings to the governor and recommended taking the policy statewide. Hickox predicts that Delaware could BE VERY CAUTIOUS save roughly $2.5 million annually. THAT MY FAMILY Still, these policies raise plenty of questions for agency managers and IT leaders. Among them: Should agencies UNDERSTANDS THIS subsidize data plans for employees’ personal devices, IS MY STATE DEVICE.” since employees likely would purchase them anyway? Who will handle the workload of securing the numer- BRENDA DECKER, CIO, NEBRASKA ous types of devices that employees are likely to bring to work? Should the help desk be expected to support those devices? As long-term budget shortages force public CIOs to create a new normal, many are considering a switch to As these user-friendly devices become intertwined with the personal devices as part of that evolution. Like any policy average person’s daily habits — both business and personal decision, determining the role of personal devices in the — public CIOs are responding with formal policies. But not government workplace will bring its share of challenges, all agencies agree on whether to embrace or discourage the benefi ts, unintended consequences and implementation use of personal devices at work. approaches. Nebraska, for instance, discourages them due to the potential for making sensitive data vulnerable and the risk THEY’RE DOING IT ANYWAY of litigation over improper downloads. Yet even state CIO When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in Brenda Decker acknowledges the benefi ts of allowing per- 2007, he promised a cultural shift that would centralize sonal devices on the secure government network. all computing needs onto one mobile device. To an extent, “We understand there is a cost advantage,” said Decker, Apple delivered on that lofty goal and devices like the pointing out that agencies could have fewer devices to buy iPhone and the iPad became wildly popular. Resistance if employees used their own. “There is also a became somewhat futile. convenience advantage to the employee,” she 20 PERCENT In other words, public CIOs are recognizing said. “I carry two devices — one for personal that employees will attempt to use their shiny use, one for state use — and I have to be very THE REDUCTION IN new devices regardless of the rules. Delaware cautious that my family understands this is my WIRELESS COSTS succumbed to that inevitability in 2010 when state device.” ACHIEVED BY it launched a set of security policies for per- Nebraska agency directors can approve the sonal devices, mostly smartphones, to safely use of personal devices on a case-by-case basis. THE DELAWARE access the secure state network. Despite the “A lot of our employees look at it and see DEPARTMENT OF state offering agency-sponsored BlackBerrys, that they may have a dental appointment from TECHNOLOGY AND a portion of the work force insisted on using 8 to 9 in the morning, but if they can sit in the INFORMATION personal devices and accessed the network doctor’s office with their personal PC and get without formal approval. Not surprisingly, this that work done [or] put in an extra hour in the AFTER ALLOWING made Delaware Chief Security Officer Elayne evening to make up the time — that’s advan- PERSONAL MOBILE Starkey apprehensive. tageous to both the state and the individual,” DEVICES ON THE “I’m sleeping easier at night because I know Decker said. “We see there are some advantages. that, as of Nov. 15, we have closed a signifi - We just feel we have to be cautious about the SECURE STATE cant vulnerability,” Starkey told Government data that’s going back and forth.” NETWORK. Technology last year.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Issue Brief New Thinking for the Enterprise: Cutting Costs with Cloud, Consolidation and Modernization

Th e situation state and local government leaders fi nd them- or eliminating the need for an agency to purchase hardware. Vir- selves in is — by now — all too familiar. Budget shortfalls that tualization also allows agencies to reduce energy costs and desktop were temporarily relieved by dollars from the American Recov- virtualization can enable remote work for government employees. ery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) continue to threaten states and municipalities as this funding begins to phase out and the money Real-life example: Fairfax County, Va., is virtualizing and consoli- is spent. Due to this, 2012 is anticipated to be one of the most dating servers in its data center. Th e county plans to go from 512 diffi cult fi nancial years yet for state and local governments, with physical servers down to 8 physical servers using virtual technol- some estimates predicting that states will face budget shortfalls of ogy. Th is move will help the county realize signifi cant energy sav- $103 billion.1 Unfortunately, even if states make moderate gains in ings in electricity of over $214,000 annually. revenue, they are unlikely to close this large of a gap. Th e severity of this problem can create an understandable “By leveraging emerging technologies, such as virtualization for state tendency for lawmakers to search far and wide for solutions. Th e agencies to bring together an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) off er- National Conference of State Legislatures bookended its Top 11 ing for Arkansas’ public sector, this off ering has allowed state agen- list for 2011 with balancing budgets in the lead, and infrastructure cies, boards and commissions to capitalize on the benefi ts of cloud investments bringing up the rear. In between are what the group computing … We have found that by off ering this technology in our calls “deep, controversial and painful” budget cuts. data center, we are able to provide our public sector customers the To try and minimize this pain, government technologists have foundation and framework for future system implementations that optimized their government infrastructure to save as much money meet the need to ensure security, reliability, interoperability and an as possible. Th ese eff orts have helped agencies continue to pro- overall positive economic benefi t for Arkansans. At the end of the day, vide, and in fact to increase, vital services to constituents. How- virtualization and cloud computing are about dollars-and-cents and ever, small changes are not enough when leaders are still on the fundamentally changing attitudes about owning technology assets.” hook to drastically cut costs and deliver savings. CLAIRE BAILEY, CIO, STATE OF ARKANSAS In this environment, justifying IT spending requires a hard dollar return on investment that must also demonstrate how any new Data Center Consolidation: IT consolidation is the process of initiatives can help save crucial government programs. Simply put, abstracting and combining common technology functions from sepa- leaders must begin implementing fresh ideas and new approaches — rate operating divisions to act as a shared service back to the divisions. and reinvent the enterprise to capture cost savings in the short term. More simply, it can mean moving from a typically decentralized environment to one that is based on a shared services approach. It provides Reinventing the Enterprise for Cost Savings a number of benefi ts for government agencies, including eliminating Comprehensive services and IT management are coming hardware, reducing carbon footprint and freeing up staff time. As orga- online at just the right time. Cloud computing, virtualization nizations look to lower costs and provide services more effi ciently, they and consolidation can all cut data center costs in a dramatic fash- oft en start with consolidation. ion. Application modernization can improve functionality while slashing operation costs. New technologies and a reorientation of Real-life example: Th rough IT consolidation, the city of Denver enterprise can cut costs across the entire scope of government. was able to consolidate 60 systems into a common storage area network (SAN), streamline six e-mail systems down to two and What We Need to be Doing: save $1.2 million on licensing costs alone, among other benefi ts. Virtualization: Listed as a Top 3 priority by public CIOs in surveys by the Center for Digital Government, virtualization essentially Cloud Computing: According to research by the Center for Digital Gov- separates resources from the hardware that provides them. Not only ernment, cloud computing is the No. 1 trending technology in state and an end in itself, virtualization is really the enabling technology for IT local government, indicating that its importance to CIOs will continue consolidation and the catalyst for cloud computing. Virtualization to grow in the coming years. Clouds are a large pool of easily usable and can help agencies consolidate servers and also help states centralize accessible virtualized resources that can be dynamically reconfi gured and provision services to agencies in an end-to-end model, reducing to adjust to a variable load, allowing for optimum resource utilization.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go New Thinking for the Enterprise

Application modernization is the task of bringing these legacy “Due to budget challenges that we’ve all faced over the past few years, systems “up to code” so they can meet or exceed today’s require- the state of Delaware has specifi cally focused on virtualization eff orts ments. Th is doesn’t always mean wholesale replacement, which to reduce short-term expenses. By establishing and creating a private is good news for budget planners. Aft er careful examination and cloud infrastructure, the state has experienced an immediate cost strategic planning, governments can chart their own path to mod- savings of $1.2 million annually. Th ese are real cost savings and not ernizing their application inventory. While this is no doubt hard simply cost avoidance. Th e ability to prove this success has resulted work, there is great potential for cost savings in this area. Th e in further support from other state agencies and we are now moving National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) recently ranked towards the virtualization and migration of all hardware infrastruc- application modernization as the No. 4 highest priority for 2011. ture throughout the state. We anticipate virtualizing all eligible servers throughout the state within the next four years.” Real-life examples: Pinellas County, Fla., is replacing its 35-year- BILL HICKOX, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION old courts management system for many of the reasons noted above. Th e system was internally built years ago, and now requires While there are diff erent types of cloud models — including private a prohibitively high degree of maintenance. Data is locked in silos clouds, public clouds, community clouds and hybrid clouds, essen- for each of the major court types, which slows business processes tially cloud computing is a pay-per-use model in which guarantees are and restricts information sharing.2 off ered by the provider through service level agreements. Th e New Jersey Treasury Department has kicked off a major modernization project, in part spurred by demands from the pub- Real-life example: Th e New Mexico Offi ce of the State Attorney lic themselves. A newspaper in the Garden State reported on a General chose to use a cloud e-mail application instead of upgrad- list of the 10 oldest systems in state government, and uncovered ing a current system. Compared to the expenses in upgrading the legacy applications dating back 42 years to 1969. New Jersey CTO old e-mail system — a $300,000 one-time cost and up to $150,000 Adel Ebeid said that, “Th is is an administration that has recog- annually — the new system, which includes much more than just nized how old our systems are and has started to take great strides e-mail, costs New Mexico about $10,000 per year. “Th ere is no way to address the issue.”3 to do an e-mail system for that,” James Ferreira, CIO of the New Mexico Offi ce of the State Attorney General, said. “You can’t even Making Change Happen – What it Takes to Get There buy a server for that.” Reinventing government services for cost savings can seem daunting at fi rst. Before the fi rst steps can be taken, the organi- “Kentucky is likely unique among many other sister states in that zation needs to develop a comprehensive strategic vision for the ‘cloud computing,’ or strategic sourcing, has been in place for vari- enterprise. Th is needs to address the realities, goals, needs, con- ous services since the 1970s. For example, Kentucky has successfully straints and challenges of all parts of the organization. It is vital provided mainframe computing services, using a ‘cloud’ model, for that this plan take an integrated approach across all aspects of decades. E-mail services are also provided in the same shared-ser- technology — from enterprise services to hardware, soft ware and vices fashion for the executive branch, albeit only since 1999. As the the cloud. Fixing one aspect in isolation won’t solve the problem. interim CIO of the Commonwealth, my overarching objective is to In fact, isolated priorities and one-dimensional thinking played a ensure quality IT services are provided, while continually reduc- large part in creating the problem in the fi rst place. ing operational costs. Part of that objective involves researching all Once government has a solid strategic roadmap, the focus can methods of IT sourcing, including cloud computing. We evaluate shift to fi nding the smartest, most direct and most cost-eff ective all options for IT delivery, and as the dynamics of the IT business path to get there. Since governments have spent so much time change, we will be equally prepared to change.” maintaining old systems and comparatively less on new projects, LORI FLANERY, SECRETARY OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, KENTUCKY this eff ort will also involve a shift in mindset. It is important for government to assess the skills needed for modernization and to Application Modernization: Many of the government IT systems bring in a fresh perspective. Too oft en projects and procurements that support mission-critical services are more than 20 to 30 years have loft y goals painting a bright future, but are held back by old. When these systems were initially designed, many of today’s detailed requirements that are fi rmly planted in the past. requirements simply didn’t exist. Th e security challenges of the Finally — and perhaps most fundamentally — govern- early 1980s — when systems were isolated from the Internet — ments need a deep willingness to change. Constituent demands are very diff erent from the ever-evolving threats faced by leaders and today’s budget challenges aren’t going away. Smart govern- today. Many of these systems were intended only for internal use, ment leaders from policy to administration need to be willing to never anticipating a 24/7 audience of citizens connecting directly embrace new mindsets and boldly seek out the benefi ts of change. via the Internet. And fi nally, many of these systems rely on a Endnotes shrinking workforce that is knowledgeable on the older platform 1. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=711 2. http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Pinellas-County-Courts-Management-System-021811.html technologies. 3. http://www.govtech.com/budget-fi nance/New-Jersey-Treasury-Legacy-Systems.html

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Since then, attitudes have evolved in Delaware. The Allowing employees to use these machines also is criti- Department of Technology and Information’s subsidy pol- cal to retaining top IT talent, Feldner believes. Contrary to icy creates a fi nancial incentive for employees to use most of the country right now, North Dakota has a thriv- their personal mobile devices. If the pilot goes statewide, ing economy due to its agriculture and energy industries. employees who are willing to turn in their state-issued The state is home to Microsoft’s second largest campus, devices will be reimbursed up to $30 per month for data and Feldner directly competes for talent with a few nearby plans on their personal smartphones. IT fi rms. Hickox said there was extensive debate about whether “As you get the younger generation that grew up in the the state should pay for data plans that employees would digital age, they expect to be able to use all of these devic- probably purchase themselves. Simple cost savings set- es,” she said. “They buy them anyway, and they want to use tled the argument. Most state agencies pay $80 to $90 them at work.” for each BlackBerry, Hickox said. Under his proposed Feldner was also struck by how much faster nontechnical change, employees would pay for their own devices, voice employees learned to use commercial devices like the iPad plans and associated taxes. The state would merely cover compared to government-issued laptops. “I don’t know why the $30 data plan. If state business increases the bill for these devices are more user-friendly,” she said, “but they an employee’s voice plan, the state will kick in an extra seem to be.” $10. Hickox said his team is careful to call the money a Looking east to Montgomery County, Md., CIO Steve “reimbursement,” not a stipend, because a stipend counts Emanuel recently received some seed money to enhance as taxable income. Employees turn in their receipts each the county’s mobile IT strategy. Emanuel, who likes month for the reimbursement. using his iPad at work, may use some of his new funds In North Dakota, a similar policy is in the works — its to see if personal devices could reduce his maintenance pilot allows iPads and other personal mobile devices on the staff’s workload. network, and the state offers classes on how to safely use One idea, which is still incubating, is to pay employees the devices. North Dakota CIO Lisa Feldner said she was stipends to purchase maintenance plans for their personal shocked to learn that so many state employees used per- devices. Since other counties have achieved efficiencies sonal iPads at work; they were using wireless connections by offering stipends for personal cell phones used at provided for guest access instead of connecting through the work, Emanuel said stipends for maintaining tablets and secure network. other devices might alleviate his help desk’s workload. “Rather than taking the hard line stance, we’re saying, The incentive for end-users, Emanuel said, would be that ‘OK, if you’re going to do this, we want you to know it’s still important to keep the network and the state’s resources secure,’” Feldner said. The state hired a technology instructor from a “THE STIPEND public school district in North Dakota to teach PROCESS WOULD the classes, which are consistently packed. SAY, ‘WE’RE PAYING POTENTIAL GAINS WITH PERSONAL GADGETS YOU TO USE YOUR When it comes to allowing personal devices on the network, some CIOs envision benefits EQUIPMENT. IF YOU beyond cost savings and employee satis- HAVE A PROBLEM faction. Feldner, for instance, sees them as important tools. WITH IT, YOU BETTER “A lot of these devices allow people to be more HAVE A PLAN B.’” productive, more so than perhaps a laptop does,” she said. “A laptop is a fairly large device, and STEVE EMANUEL, CIO, maybe the battery doesn’t last very long. You can MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD. take an iPad or one of the newer tablet devices, have it on your lap and get a lot of your e-mail done. They don’t make any noise, you can take

notes and you have a battery life that’s huge on KIDD DAVID all of these devices.”

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go they could pocket any of the maintenance stipend they didn’t use. When it comes to connecting the devices to the network, “RATHER THAN Emanuel said help desk workers possibly could write employee guides based on the TAKING THE HARD similar menu systems used in the various LINE STANCE, WE’RE commercial devices. Emanuel emphasized that employees who SAYING, ‘OK, IF YOU’RE take the stipend would be expected to be GOING TO DO THIS, savvy, educated end-users who can handle most device problems on their own. WE WANT YOU TO “The stipend process would say, ‘We’re pay- KNOW IT’S STILL ing you to use your equipment. If you have a problem with it, you need to have a plan B,’” IMPORTANT TO Emanuel said. KEEP THE NETWORK Time will tell whether Emanuel’s idea to subsidize private maintenance plans comes to AND THE STATE’S fruition. Some other local officials, like CIO RESOURCES SECURE.” Gary Cavin of Columbus, Ohio, are willing to allow personal devices on the network, but LISA FELDNER, CIO, won’t go as far as paying for private mainte- NORTH DAKOTA nance plans. “I can’t say it’s something that’s impossible,” he said, “but for us right now, that’s not the direction we’re headed.” Columbus senior systems administrator Ivan

King said quality control would be too com- PAMELA SMETTE plicated. What would happen, he asked, if the employee broke the personal device? “Where is your service “Since people have their state e-mail on their devices, if level agreement? Because now that guy has to run to Best they get stolen, we don’t want the culprit sending e-mails Buy,” he said. “Say they’re going to ship it back to Dell. He’ll from that user’s account,” Feldner said. The application used get a new one in three days, and now he’s not doing anything. for this protection wipes the device automatically after I don’t see how that model plays out.” someone makes 10 failed password attempts. In North Dakota, the help desk offers techni- 10 Delaware, by contrast, allows sensitive cal support on personal devices. The extra work THE NUMBER OF fi les on personal devices but installs special hasn’t overburdened the help desk, Feldner encryption to keep unapproved eyes from said. “When we started seeing these devices FAILED PASSWORD viewing the data. North Dakota uses this show up, we equipped our help desk with a ATTEMPTS BEFORE sort of encryption on state-issued laptops, couple of them so they had some idea that these INFORMATION IS which can be used for sensitive fi les. Although things were here,” she said. Feldner doesn’t do this for personal devices, AUTOMATICALLY she expects to hear requests for it eventually. CALMING SECURITY FEARS WIPED FROM As for whether personal gadgets require Security issues regarding personal devices NORTH DAKOTA additional information security personnel on a government network usually concern the for the added work, Feldner said that hasn’t downloading of health and human services EMPLOYEES’ been the case. But it doesn’t mean her data and tax-related documents. North Dakota DEVICES. security officers are happy about allowing doesn’t yet allow the ability to do so on per- the devices. sonal devices. The data the state permits for download onto “They’re not thrilled because it’s one more thing they personal devices, Feldner said, is public record. However, have to try to keep ahead of,” Feldner said. “They under- her team still puts strict security protections on these per- stand that this is the way the world is moving, so we sonal handhelds, including special password protection. need to accommodate it and figure out a way to keep The devices also can be wiped remotely. things secure.” ¨

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go ®

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BY JESSICA MULHOLLAND I PHOTOS BY DAVID KIDD

CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER BRYAN SIVAK EXPLAINS WHY FAILURE IS A NECESSARY PART OF PROGRESS. CHALLENGING theSTATUS

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BRYAN SIVAK’S MISSION STATEMENT IS SIMPLE: TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO WHEREVER IT EXISTS. DOING THAT IN A GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY, OF COURSE, IS A BIT MORE COMPLEX.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go ORMER DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CTO BRYAN SIVAK is best known for implementing technology initiatives like the accountability portal TrackDC. But his new role as Maryland’s Ffirst chief innovation officer may be his most challenging yet. Sivak is tasked with helping to implement some of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s signature initiatives like setting up the best health insurance exchange in the country, addressing critical issues like public safety and broadband access, and engaging citizens in their government via technology and social media. Though it’s been just four months since he started, Sivak says he’s looking forward to ushering in an open mentality when it comes to the challenges of innovating. In two phone interviews — one in late May and another in early August — Sivak spoke about the variations he sees in working for different levels of government and why failure is a necessary part of innovation.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES WORKING FOR A STATE DIFFER FROM WORKING FOR A CITY? There are some very interesting differences between the state and local levels. Many are pretty obvious, but I think they’re hard to grasp until you’ve done both. You’re not dealing with things, like potholes and mass transit systems, so it defi nitely takes longer to see the impacts of many decisions and actions you take. But the potential scope of any decision or action is much broader. I think with the right attitudes of the people running the operational agencies (the cabinet secretaries and others in the governor’s office), there are some very direct and tangible actions that can be seen relatively quickly and easily. It just depends on what you’re looking to do and how to do it.

DO YOU USE THAT CITY-MINDED VIEWPOINT IN YOUR NEW ROLE? DOES IT CHANGE HOW YOU WORK AT THE STATE LEVEL? I’ve been approaching this very much the same way I was approaching it at the city level. I think given what I’m trying to do, a lot of the activities are going to be similar. Many of the people in the O’Malley administration also came from the city level. A lot of people were working with him “There are different ways of doing when he was the mayor of Baltimore. The experiences that I have and that a lot of the other folks in the administration things that are complementary to have are very similar. achieving the goals of your organiza- DO YOU THINK THERE’S A STRENGTH IN THAT? tion and your operation, and we can Absolutely. When you’re running and doing work in a work on all of those things. city, I think there’s a very strong connection to the people and to tangible things you can do to affect their lives in a benefi cial way. It’s much more personal. You’re interacting with individuals on a more regular basis, and that has to come with you when you move up the ladder. As you scale

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go these different jurisdictional boundaries, it gets less personal. But I think those per- “A lot of this boils down to really letting the sonal stories and contacts bring you back down. They’re the things that remind you people who are in the trenches doing the of why you’re doing this in the fi rst place. day-to-day work do things in their own way. HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR EXPERIENCE AS Give them the freedom to try new stuff. THE DISTRICT’S CTO IN YOUR NEW ROLE? To really do some of the things I’m trying to do, I need to get the cabinet secretaries to actually work to try anything new and different with the challenges of a with me and want to try some of these new ideas. I think day-to-day operation.” But I think that’s where I can help. that my experience running an agency — obviously not as That’s where I can come in and say, “There are different big, but still a pretty large operation — gives me some street ways of doing things that are complementary to achieving cred, if you will. I can go to a cabinet secretary and say, the goals of your organization and your operation, and we “Look, I’ve done your job, at least in a similar fashion, so I can work on all of those things.” know what you’re facing. I understand how hard it can be WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEW THINGS YOU’RE TRYING? One side of it is looking at a series of objectives the governor has. It’s kind of a fascinating administration because he’s term-limited, so he really has to execute as quickly as he can on a number of different things. I’m working on trying to help look at some of these signature initiatives and get them done in a relatively quick time frame. For example, the governor wants Maryland to be the No. 1 state for health care in the country. As part of that, we have early adopter grants from the federal government to build this health insurance exchange that needs to be set up by 2014. Our goal is to set up the best one out there — the one that helps the most people and that does everything as well as we can possibly imagine it. There are a whole bunch of other things around public safety. The governor is big on interoperability and making sure people can communicate with each other in times of crisis. We have lots of different projects happening right now in the public safety arena that need to be knit together in a seamless and cohesive fashion. Broadband is something I focused on quite heavily in D.C. And digital divide issues — that’s another thing that’s big in Maryland right now, so I’m working on that. I’m trying to push different agencies to take advantage of new technologies to capture citizen feedback or communication around various issues ... ways of leveraging social media to both get information from people and push information to people.

WHAT DOES THE “CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER” TITLE MEAN AS FAR AS YOUR ROLE IN GETTING THINGS DONE? There are many different ways to defi ne the term or the concept of innovation within government. What I’m explaining to people as an overall mission [is] a single statement: Innovation means challenging the status quo, wherever it exists. That statement can be applied in a number of ways.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go One obvious way is breaking through years of entrenched fail and then let them succeed, and celebrate both the bureaucracy and the “because that’s how that’s always been failures and successes until people realize there are better done” attitude. Another way is to push people, especially ways of doing things. leaders at agencies or managers of large groups of people, It’s not a natural act for governments that are under con- to be more risk-tolerant and to understand that failure is stant scrutiny and pressure to never do anything wrong. I not only an option, but it’s sometimes a necessity to actually think that’s another side of it that has to be addressed, but move some things forward — as long as that failure is fast that’s part of my role. I want to evangelize the fact that you and cheap. can’t expect things to be perfect every time, especially if you want things to work out for the better and change. The way to IN AN ARTICLE ON TECHPRESIDENT.COM, YOU SAID ONE OF do it is to fi nd some bright spots because there are people out YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES WILL BE TRYING TO SHOW there doing this right now in Maryland and elsewhere. If we PEOPLE THAT FAILURE IS OK AND IT’S NOT GOING TO GET can fi nd those bright spots, hold them up as shining exam- THEM FIRED. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THAT’S SO IMPORTANT? ples and show people how to replicate that success, then we When I fi rst started in government a couple of years ago, I was expecting to see the [stereotypical] government bureaucrat. What I found, more often than not, were people who are incred- ibly motivated and dedicated to the job

“If I am successful, my position might no longer be necessary because we will have been able to bake these concepts into the DNA of the organization.

they’re trying to do, and really are doing it for the right reason ... because they were trying to do something good for people. I think over years, a lot of your drive and gusto gets beaten out of you by bureaucratic red tape, people telling you “no” and not being able to fi nd an easy way around things. Then maybe worst of all, there’s typically no incentive in the government for anybody to try anything new. As I said before, I think failure is a necessary part of innovation. You can’t be expected to hit a home run every time. Sometimes it’s going to be a single; sometimes you’re going to foul out to the catcher. But we need to accept that to make some signifi cant changes. A lot of this boils down to really letting the people who are in the trenches doing the day-to-day work do things in their own way. Give them the freedom to try new stuff. They’re the ones who know all these things the best. Let them

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go can start a really signifi cant movement toward making this do: convene. There is a large community of individuals in the status quo as opposed to the way they are right now. the state who can help build out these groups and provide a robust support infrastructure, and we can help enable SINCE YOU BEGAN IN APRIL, HAS ANYTHING NEW OR these communities by creating connections between exist- NOTEWORTHY OCCURRED AS FAR AS YOUR POSITION IS ing groups and individuals who don’t normally connect. CONCERNED? Another area of focus for me is cost-neutral internal opera- The universe of potential projects keeps growing. I’ve tional efficiency. I’m helping a number of agencies imple- gotten involved in initiatives ranging from public health, ment ideas that are primarily focused on process change, procurement reform, work force issues, public data and some related to technology, but more often than not, [are] transparency, job creation, technology commercialization based on basic cultural change. I’m also working on a and much more. The big challenge, to be honest, has been longer-term effort to formalize the ability for individuals keeping things off my plate — there’s a ton of interesting and groups to not only think creatively about ways they can work to do. challenge the status quo, but also to actually do something about it. This is one of those efforts where if I am success- WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE ABOUT YOUR POSITION FOR ful, my position might no longer be necessary because we OTHER STATES THAT ARE CONSIDERING SUCH A POST? will have been able to bake these concepts into the DNA of This role is less of a “creative idea generation and imple- the organization. That’s looking far down the road, but I’m mentation” job and more of a “surface and facilitate the optimistic that we can at least get the organization moving ideas of others” job. I’ve spoken to public, private and along this path during my tenure in the state. nonprofi t organizations that have tried or are trying to do something like this and the situations are all very similar HOW DIFFICULT HAS IT BEEN TRYING TO TEACH PEOPLE THAT — the organizational hierarchies, internal bureaucracies FAILURE IS A NECESSARY PART OF INNOVATION? and politics have prevented good ideas from surfacing and So far I have found a wide and varied range of groups being implemented. Fear is a potent motivator. If an orga- and individuals across the government. We have a num- nization is truly serious about doing something like this, it ber of agency leaders and middle managers who are true has to be willing to implement signifi cant cultural change visionaries and have been willing to embrace new ideas and be ready to celebrate small failures as much as success- or initiatives in the name of progress. There is not much es. This means fi nding an individual or individuals who can I need to do in these situations except help surface ideas truly fi ll the role of enablers, either from a minor fi nancial from elsewhere in the bureaucracy and make connections perspective, a collaboration and silo-breaking perspective, between organizational silos to facilitate the implementa- a red-tape cutting perspective or in many cases, all of the tion of these ideas. There are other cases where the ossifi ed above. Leaders have to be willing to embrace challenges to bureaucracy has created layers of middle management who the status quo — something easier said than done. And in the medium to long term, it helps to set aside a relatively “I think failure is a necessary part of innovation. small fund to help enable potentially risky ideas that require small invest- You can’t be expected to hit a home run every time. ments to get started.

WHAT PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON THAT DON’T REQUIRE are incented to keep their heads down as opposed to trying NEW FUNDING? new things, and this is where I’ve had a lot of fun so far. One thing I’ve been spending a lot of time on is job cre- One of the great things about my job is that I can assume ation. The governor is a big believer in small companies a lot of risk. If you have a great idea but worry that if being the engine of job growth, and I’ve been looking at something goes wrong it will come back to haunt you, I can ways to help enable the creation of new businesses across accept the risk of failure and take the blame if necessary, the state. Maryland receives a huge amount of investment while letting you take all the credit if the implementation of R&D dollars, but it ranks relatively low in terms of com- of the idea is successful. Convincing people that this is mercialization of the technologies created through this actually possible is a bit of a challenge, but once we get investment. I believe that there isn’t too much a state can there, anything is possible. ¨ do from a legislative perspective to help solve this problem, but there is one thing government is ideally positioned to Jessica Mulholland is associate editor of Public CIO.

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Government is taking online services one step further and offi ce, make a phone call, or mail a letter to receive services, con- is now off ering access to services — including driver’s license stituents can take advantage of easy-to-access and user-friendly renewals and permits and license applications — through native mobile government applications. apps and smartphone-optimized websites and services. As more citizens adopt mobile devices in their personal lives, they expect Who’s doing it? government services to be available through them. State and federal portals are making that anytime, anywhere access a real- Arkansas ity by making e-government easy to access on any type of phone • Mobile services on the Arkansas portal are becoming increas- or tablet device. Th ose governments that off er mobile services ingly popular and the state is working to develop and deploy are registering rapidly increasing traffi c on their sites. more applications to improve customer service. Current mobile-optimized Arkansas.gov solutions include: What is it? – Th e Arkansas Game and Fish Check iPhone application, Th e very fi rst state and federal government websites, created which allows hunters and fi shermen to record and photo- back in the mid-1990s, were static, agency-oriented pages.1 Visi- graph their kills and catches from out in the fi eld, has been tors could click and scroll, but that was generally the extent of downloaded more than 40,000 times. interactivity. By the early years of the 21st century, governments – Inmate deposits, which allow friends and families of prison- knew the static sites were not maximizing the potential of the ers to deposit money into trust accounts so the inmates can Internet and began creating more interactive Web portals instead. make purchases in the prison commissary, had 1,200 visits State and federal portals have continued evolving to meet in March 2011. the demand for more convenience. Mobile capability extends – Probation and parole payments, which allows parolees to services to those populations that increasingly need them when make restitution payments and pay fees, was accessed more they are on the go. In 2011, smartphone-capable portals and ser- than 250 times in June 2011. vices are still in their infancy, but adoption is gaining speed. – Usage of inmate deposits and probation/parole is growing at a rate of 50 percent per month. Why are mobile-enabled portals important? – Property taxes, which are due in October of each year, can Revenue and budget problems plaguing federal, state and now be paid via smartphone by residents of 39 of Arkansas’ local governments are old news. Unfortunately, the news is not 75 counties. Approximately 80 percent of the state’s population expected to get better anytime soon. resides in these counties. In October 2010, 804 state residents Since 2008, governments have consolidated many agencies paid their property taxes through the mobile-enabled portal. and facilities and have reduced services and personnel numbers. • Prior to the January 2010 launch of the revamped Universal Despite this, they must continue to maintain high-quality ser- Financial Aid System in Arkansas, an average of 18,000 stu- vice to constituents. Smartphone-enabled portals help govern- dents each year received just under $48 million in fi nancial ments fulfi ll this mission while addressing budget challenges, aid from the Arkansas Department of Health and Education. because native apps and mobile-optimized services reduce In 2010, the fi rst year the service went live, more than 30,000 manual workfl ows and allow agencies to redeploy staff to other students received $120 million in fi nancial aid. Th is was nearly value-added activities. three times the amount distributed the prior year. In April 2011, Mobile services also provide better customer service to the the portal launched a smartphone application for the Universal constituent. Rather than requiring citizens to visit a government Financial Aid System and 12 percent of traffi c to the service is

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go ADVERTISEMENT

now coming from mobile users. • According to the Arkansas mobile portal team, several challenges must be addressed in developing successful mobile websites and native applications: – Designing for a small screen, especially for graphics and usability – Supporting a number of diff erent mobile devices – Using the “Where’s My License?” app to track the status of a – Providing the most-needed mobile functions driver’s license application – Eliminating applications that are too complicated for mobile – Finding fi eld offi ces, operating hours, contact information, devices, such as services that require multiple documents or current wait time intensive graphics – Locating ports of entry for commercial drivers – Tying together visitors’ location-based information and phone – Finding private title service companies that can issue titles mapping features so users can get the information they need • Like other states, New Mexico suffers from fewer and fewer – Building separate instances of graphics and sizing for native resources. “There are a lot of technological advances that device applications, i.e., iPhone apps for iPhones, Android states don’t necessarily have the funding to support,” Ortiz apps for Android phones says. “We’re always looking for ways to improve customer – Finding a common, yet powerful, development platform for service, prevent people from having to come to our over- training personnel and providing the best possible environ- taxed service centers, and provide people with alternatives ment for creating mobile apps for the site that make it easier for them to do business with us.”

New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division Where Can I Find Out More? • New Mexico’s www.mvd.newmexico.gov/mobile solution “Building the Innovation Nation” launched on February 21, 2011. “We wanted to provide a 50 State Portals Assessment great deal of [quick-loading] content, fairly simply,” says www.govtech.com/innovationnation Alicia C. Ortiz, deputy director of the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division. “We focused on what we considered the “Th e Self-Funded Model: Eliminating costs and enhancing most important information based on the questions we get service delivery” from the public and on the most visited Web pages on our www.govtech.com/innovationnation site.” Top applications focus on a range of “How do I …” questions plus finding services normally provided at field Endnotes offices so citizens do not have to travel. 1. Gant, Jon P. and Diana Burley Gant, “Web portal • Some of New Mexico’s top mobile applications include: functionality and State government E-service,” Proceedings – Getting a new driver’s license, changing an address, and of the 35th Hawaii International Conference on System other basic services Sciences, 2002, IEEE Computer Society.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go A CIO’S WORK IS VITAL, BUT DOES EVERYONE KNOW IT? SIX STEPS FOR COMMUNICATING YOUR VALUE.

Being the chief of information, as in chief information offi cer, means you’re responsible for the fl ow of knowledge between people in your organization. CIOs often are described as not much more than technocrats who are wrapped up only in the procurement BY EVA NEUMANN and implementation of new technologies. Too often, those within their agency (and sometimes even CIOs themselves) don’t realize the true strategic value their offi ce delivers. It’s about a lot more than fi xing BlackBerrys — CIOs facilitate agencywide collaboration and effi ciency that furthers the government’s mission. The key to CIOs being more to their organization than just the head IT offi cer is to communicate their value.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go JUSTIFY INVESTMENTS BY COMMUNICATING OPENLY ABOUT THEM AND TELLING STORIES THAT PEOPLE CAN EASILY GRASP INSTEAD OF JUST THROWING NUMBERS AT THEM.

BE THE CHIEF OF INFORMATION MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS CLEAR TO NON-IT EXECUTIVES CIOs already do a good job of managing enterprise- Whether in government or commercial operations, the level technology adoption and policymaking that meet CIO plays an important role in keeping things working strict requirements. But have you considered going above from day to day. Without the solutions your office imple- and beyond the traditional role of a CIO? Consider this: ments, many functions that other executives — and ground- What if you were truly the chief of information, sharing level employees — take for granted wouldn’t be available. openly with subordinate groups about organizational But many stakeholders who depend on your services daily plans and objectives? Those who work for you, or groups probably don’t think about the hard work that goes into that depend on your office, may not truly realize how providing them (unless, of course, something goes wrong). valuable the work your office does is for them unless you Building relationships with other executives and employ- make that information readily available. Don’t neglect ees in your organization before there is a problem makes telling your story to others in the organization. The things go more smoothly when issues arise. To do this, messages should drive your overall strategy as a CIO — it’s imperative that you maintain a steady fl ow of digest- ensure that each time you communicate, it’s fi lled with ible information in and out of the CIO’s office. Digestible purpose. means, of course, information that enables non-IT executives to understand the intricacies of all the things you’re DON’T JUST TELL, SHOW doing to make their lives easier. Identify a talented commu- People are generally visual thinkers. So communicating nicator, either internally or externally, who can successfully your messages to stakeholders, especially in a fast-paced, translate technical topics for nontechnical people. Do the digital-driven world, will go a lot further if they are legal, public affairs, science, HR and other professionals in visual. Create compelling charts, infographics and photo- your agency truly understand what you do for them? Do driven stories about your successes. Design collateral smaller internal organizations that rely on the CIO’s office that people want to read, and can quickly scan and still for guidance and support really appreciate the value you get the point — which is that you’re doing a great job, contribute? If they don’t, perhaps it’s time to speak in nar- and the CIO’s office is contributing exponentially to the ratives, in layman’s language and with visual components agency’s overall success. that effectively explain your office’s successes.

JUSTIFY INVESTMENTS FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE REALLY NEED Do you have trouble persuading leadership, or even your Don’t let vendors and fads dictate your IT strategies. employees, that your investments are the right ones? Can Stay focused on maintaining open lines of communi- you really blame them if you haven’t shown them what the cation with your core agency stakeholders to find out predicted outcomes are? Again, you’re showing stakehold- what they really need. Have you spoken with employees ers, not just telling them, that your plans can work. who are in the trenches every day using technologies Do this with business cases. Perhaps another agency or that were put in place by the CIO’s office? What solu- private-sector organization already has pioneered the way tions would optimize and streamline their jobs? By tak- with strikingly good results. You’ve done your homework on ing care of these individuals, you essentially increase why your proposed investments are good ones — but no one the agency’s overall effectiveness. What information will know if you don’t show them. Create scenario stories do workers need? What information and support do and show how your solutions fi ll the gaps your agency may they need most quickly? What bureaucratic steps keep have in the future. Justify investments by communicating them from getting the resources they need in a timely openly about them and telling stories that people can easily manner? By employing open lines of communication grasp instead of just throwing numbers at them. And don’t that work in both directions, you can be in tune with be afraid to elicit feedback — the communication model the agency’s needs in real time. If you provide valuable, needs to be two-way. Stakeholders are likelier to buy into understandable information, you’re likelier to get honest, your strategy when they’re part of the solution. helpful feedback.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go CASE STUDY | BUILDING A STRATEGY

COMMUNICATE WHAT TECHNOLOGIES HELP THE AGENCY TO DO When the offi ce of the CIO (OCIO) within one U.S. Quash perceptions that your office excels at just play- government agency needed to raise awareness internally ing with technology. When you embark onto technological about how it serves the department, it sought help to territory that may be new for personnel in your organization, prepare your staff by clearly explaining what develop a comprehensive communications strategy to the new technology will help the agency do. Will it cut ensure the offi ce’s value was fully realized. Through a costs? Will it save time? Will it cause any pain points messaging session and interviews with IT leaders, an for end-users, and if so, what are you doing to mitigate internal awareness campaign was created to help identify those issues? the OCIO’s core competencies to create a brand identity By providing transparent communication about new technologies and policies, and listening to feedback from and provide stakeholders with information about the your audiences, making important decisions becomes offi ce’s accomplishments and capabilities, with emphasis easier. Potential issues are identifi ed earlier. Preparing on strengthening its cyber-security. responses to common misperceptions becomes less of a guessing game. Overall, the result is better for the agency Because the CIO’s offi ce covers highly complex subject because a solution that does something — and that has matter, direct, strategic messages were developed that been accepted by the community because of early involve- would become the core of the OCIO’s reputation. Now the ment — is a solution that satisfi es more end-users. When CIO has elevator pitch-style language that conveys the the community feels that the communication process organization’s roles and responsibilities — in terms that works both ways, you’ll identify champions within your agency who don’t always fi t the CIO profi le. But because of are relevant to the many audiences it serves. Because your excellent explanations, they’ve envisioned life with the OCIO supplies information, applications and systems the technologies and policies you’re implementing. They that people rely on to perform their jobs, communication become ambassadors for your office’s initiatives, and the materials were created that highlight the human impact of perception of value of the CIO’s office steadily increases its work. from within the organization. To visually showcase the human-interest angle of the BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER OCIO’s work, a case study was developed to provide a EXECUTIVES AND EMPLOYEES IN YOUR creative look at what the offi ce had done to improve the agency’s security infrastructure. The case study ORGANIZATION BEFORE THERE IS A is an appealing and compelling product that gives PROBLEM MAKES THINGS GO MORE the agency a more persuasive way to show the U.S. SMOOTHLY WHEN ISSUES ARISE. Congress, undersecretaries, smaller IT components within the agency and other stakeholders that the OCIO These steps help accomplish the objective of ensuring that others understand the value of the CIO’s office, and is accomplishing its mission. Instead of complex network it all goes back to one point — communication. It might diagrams, pictorial representations convey to end- be easy to get tied up in your responsibilities as a CIO and users what their personal views look like in terms of the hope that someone else is effectively communicating with agency’s larger security infrastructure. your stakeholders, carefully explaining why you’re doing things the way you are. But that’s not always the case. To be The case study is just one example of a communication a more effective CIO, you’ll need the entire agency on your tool that accomplishes some of the objectives deﬁ ned side, contributing to the greater conversation about orga- above. Another valuable tool the agency created was nizational efficiency. Until everyone knows you’re ready to an accomplishments and capabilities booklet, which talk, and until they understand your role, they’re likely to stand by silently hoping for something better. Fill that void, tied in the organization’s strategic messaging to convey and let the information fl ow. ¨ purposeful language to stakeholders about what the organization has done, is doing and can do for them. Eva Neumann is founder and president of ENC Marketing & Communications.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BY COLIN WOOD I CONTRIBUTING WRITER MONEY MATTERS TAKING LESS SALARY TO WORK AS A GOVERNMENT CIO ISN’T JUST ABOUT SERVING THE PUBLIC.

orking as a public CIO can be a stressful job that comes “We’ve been tracking this for six or seven years,” Robinson with some unsavory snags. The stress of working in the said. “The majority of state CIOs leave. They come from the private Wpublic eye can bring out the gray hairs. There’s scrutiny sector and when they leave, they go back to the private sector.” from every direction — the media proffers criticism of every It’s more than just a $60,000 salary cut, Robinson said. decision, there are co-workers who have agendas and don’t Officials working for private companies also get bonuses, stock cooperate, and with such pressure, even the CIO may come options and a better benefits package than those working in to privately second-guess his or her own decisions. Getting the public sector. So who in their right mind would tolerate the things done is never as easy as it seems — CIOs have to fill smaller paycheck in exchange for a bunch of headaches? out three forms and hold a meeting just to use the restroom. As it turns out, few tolerate it for very long. The average And being a public servant means being responsible for mil- tenure of a state CIO is 20 months, Robinson said. This is lions of dollars and taking a pay cut for the privilege of work- partially because, in most states, the CIO is an appointed posi- ing for government. tion, meaning state CIOs typically lose their job when there’s For example, the average salary of a state CIO is $130,552, a change in power. But it’s also because it’s a difficult job with according to a survey released biannually by NASCIO. This figure comparatively low pay. is more than three times as much as the average U.S. wage, Jesse Rothstein, an associate professor of public policy and so it’s not as if state CIOs are hurting compared to the average economics at the University of California at Berkeley, said it’s American. But state CIOs make about one-third less than their a case of simple economics. “If you pay less, you can’t get as private-sector counterparts who, according to NASCIO Executive competent or skilled a worker,” Rothstein said. That’s not to say Director Doug Robinson, make nearly $190,000 a year. there aren’t competent, skilled workers in government — there

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM McKEITH

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BY THE NUMBERS defi nitely are. But the fundamental economic incentives for the most skilled workers to stay in government are missing. 2011 State CIO Average Salary: $130,552 If the incentives are in the private sector, that’s where the 2008 State CIO Average Salary: $124,740 talent will go. To some, this is a cold outlook. After all, money isn’t everything. What about the people who want to make a 2011 Private Company CIO Average Salary: $210,300 difference or those who view the world through a pair of 2010 Private Company CIO Average Salary: $219,300 government-issued, rose-colored glasses? 2009 Private Company CIO Average Salary: $247,900 THE WARM FUZZIES 2008 Private Company CIO Average Salary: $237,360 Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, who served as New York’s 2007 Private Company CIO Average Salary: $185,240 state CIO for nearly four years before resigning in March, said salary wasn’t a big consideration when she took the position. “It’s about wanting to serve. You have to love tech- 2010 #1 HIGHEST State CIO Salary: Wyoming - $194,400 nology and how technology can better serve the citizens,” 2010 #2 HIGHEST State CIO Salary: Virginia - $191,906 she said. But looking at friends in the private sector who 2010 #3 HIGHEST State CIO Salary: Texas and California - $175,000 make seven fi gures, she said, forced her to examine why she took the position of CIO in the fi rst place. “It’s defi nitely a sacrifi ce when you look at opportunities in 2010 #1 LOWEST State CIO Salary: Hawaii - $83,040 - $118,212 range the private sector. You look at those temptations. You wouldn’t 2010 #2 LOWEST State CIO Salary: Vermont - $87,776 be human if you didn’t,” Mayberry-Stewart said. But her 2010 #3 LOWEST State CIO Salary: Maine - $96,553 desire to serve prevailed and she has no regrets, she said. Having a fulfi lling career requires more than money, Mayberry-Stewart said. “I think everybody wants to be 2011 State CIO Average Tenure: 1 year, 8 months where they can make a contribution and think what they 2011 Private Company CIO Average Tenure: 5 years, 2 months do is appreciated,” she said. But just because you’re doing something in the public’s interest doesn’t mean it can’t also Sources: NASCIO, 2011 State of the CIO report and 2010 The Book of the States. be self-serving; for many, being a public CIO is an investment in time. poor and disenfranchised who are suffering from illness is a wonderful option that may not have been possible without “IT’S DEFINITELY A SACRIFICE WHEN YOU the connections that came with being a state CIO, Mayberry- LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PRIVATE Stewart said. SECTOR. YOU LOOK AT THOSE TEMPTATIONS. THE NOT-SO WARM AND FUZZY Not everyone has such an idealistic outlook, however. YOU WOULDN’T BE HUMAN IF YOU DIDN’T.” Former Alaska CIO Anand Dubey was clearly frustrated by MELODIE MAYBERRY-STEWART, FORMER CIO, NEW YORK STATE his time in public service. “Two kinds of people do it. One type does it for the retirement,” he said. The second type of person, a category in which Dubey includes himself, does it It also looks good on a resumé, Mayberry-Stewart said. as a one-time public service. “CIOs typically do well when they leave [government ser- Having spent most of his career in technical and busi- vice],” she said. “Very rarely do you hear a CIO isn’t able ness consulting roles, Dubey said he was willing to accept to fi nd a position. Every career is a stepping stone to the a salary he normally wouldn’t consider for a change of pace next position.” and chance to give back. “I was sick and tired of waiting on In Mayberry-Stewart’s case, leaving her post as New York’s the sideline and offering ideas,” he said. Dubey is also an CIO opened several options and she chose a position as CEO immigrant and cited this as another reason he felt he owed at Tri Group Holdings, a technology and behavioral health the country a term of service. consulting fi rm. “It’s an opportunity for me to utilize all of “I knew ahead of time I wanted to do it for one term only,” my skills and for me to blend technology and health care,” he said. “When all was said and done, I felt relief. The relief is she said. The chance to help provide medical care to the unbelievable. I literally watched everybody, including myself,

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go age on the job.” New people came in, they were optimistic the work I started in one area actually carries over very but they didn’t understand how difficult it was to change well, and I was able to continue it on a grander scale,” he anything, Dubey said. “They truly believe they can jump in said. “So I guess I wouldn’t look at it as a 20-month term.” and run the bureaucracy. It takes a year or two to understand Those who stay in government longer may be likelier to the challenge,” he said. And by then, time is up and they’re on see their efforts succeed, but that’s not to say there isn’t their way out the door. room for talent from the private sector. “I think it’s healthy The technical challenges Dubey faced were almost to have a mix of private-sector experience and public- simple, he said, compared to the red tape involved. “The sector experience,” Ramos said. “You also need innovation. bureaucracy is so amazing there’s no way to describe it, no Having people come in here thinking like business people way to understand it unless you’re actually in it,” he said. is a good thing.” That inertia made fi xing even the smallest problem like pulling teeth, Dubey said, even though nearly everyone he worked with was highly competent. “I THINK, IN SOME CASES, A BETTER COMPEN- “It’s almost impossible to truly accomplish anything,” SATION PACKAGE WOULD HELP US RETAIN VERY Dubey said. “You have to focus on incremental change and continuing what the last guy did.” CRITICALLY NEEDED AND TRAINED STAFF.” CARLOS RAMOS, CIO, CALIFORNIA A DIFFERENT VIEW Perhaps the issue is that those who come from the private sector aren’t ready for the reality of government work, The issue of money returns, however, as attracting and especially when they also have to sacrifi ce a big chunk of retaining talent can be difficult, Ramos said. “Some of our salary. But state CIOs who’ve made a career of government most skilled technicians and engineers in our public safety work tend to have a different outlook. communications office get picked off regularly,” he said. “I Carlos Ramos, California’s newly appointed CIO, has think, in some cases, a better compensation package would worked in the public sector for 24 years. Ramos agreed that help us retain very critically needed and trained staff.” working for the government is taxing, but he takes a more But ultimately, the trials and tribulations of working for patient view of progress. Ramos said it’s important for state the government are a greater force than any salary, Ramos CIOs to understand that government operates differently said. Offering more money wouldn’t be enough to entice than a private company and that success depends on one’s people to stay. “If you’re coming into government or public ability to embrace collaboration and see the bigger picture. service just for the money, you’re not going to last,” he said. While many CIOs are only visiting the public sector for “Ultimately you [must] have a passion for public service a couple of years before they return to the private world, and a commitment to making a positive impact because the there are those like Ramos, who begin programs in one money’s only one part of it.” ¨ department and get promoted somewhere else, but their work doesn’t necessarily die when that happens. “I think Colin Wood is a technology writer based in Folsom, Calif.

PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE

JESSE ROTHSTEIN, associate professor of public policy and State CIOs make considerably less than private-sector CIOs, economics at the University of California at Berkeley, explained but does this mean state CIOs are underpaid? It’s hard to say, the salary statistics and diff erence between the private and Rothstein said. “In theory, people should be paid their marginal public sectors. proﬁ t.” In other words, people’s pay should commensurate what their labor generates. “There’s no inherent value in labor. It’s “Government workers tend to make more than the average what someone is willing to pay you,” he said. And as with many private-sector worker. But there aren’t very many unskilled jobs, CIO salaries are negotiated based on the applicant’s experi- government workers,” Rothstein said. There are, however, a great ence and state’s budget. Working conditions also determine who number of private-sector minimum wage jobs, which brings ends up where, Rothstein said. While a dearth of incentives and down its overall average wage. Also, comparisons between both unfavorable working conditions in the public sector may turn off sectors are usually averages of the entire sector and don’t typi- a lot of talent, it may also attract those with better intentions, cally examine the diff erence between equivalent positions. Rothstein said.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go BY BRIAN HEATON | STAFF WRITER

AS SOCIAL NETWORKING BECOMES A PART OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE WORKFLOW, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS ARE BEING CHALLENGED. SOCIAL MEDIA vs. FREE SPEECH

echnology outpacing the policy that governs it isn’t a new phenomenon. But as government officials across the United States are discovering, keeping up withT the times with regard to social media can raise some serious questions and cause public outcry about public employees’ right to free speech. Delaware’s Kent County Levy Court — the equivalent of a county council — has an existing rule that bars employees from using government equipment for personal social media activity at work. But a proposal introduced in early May would have extended that ban to include activity during non-work times, specifi cally as it relates to commentary that disparages co-workers or refl ects unfavorably toward the county government. Local media in Kent County were up in arms over the matter. “You can’t criticize county government decisions on your own time?” questioned a May 6 editorial on Delawareonline .com. “This is a proposal that requires considerable rethink- ing. Kent County should stick with workplace rules.” The message was apparently received. When contacted on May 16, Bret Scott, a spokesman for Levy Court, explained that the proposal is currently tabled for further discussion and revisions. Scott said the reasoning behind the initial Levy Court proposal stemmed from ongoing discussions in the legal community about companies needing to protect themselves and have a policy in place to govern social media use.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go But clearly, not everyone in the county agrees on what the Phillip Sparkes, assistant law professor and director policy should be. And with employees’ inevitable use of sites of the Chase Local Government Law Center at Northern like Facebook and Twitter — whether on or off the clock — Kentucky University, said that as he understood it, Kent states and localities must deal with the issues that arise. County’s initial proposal in May would have potentially barred county workers from using social media in their KENT COUNTY, CONTINUED … private lives, and would ban government employees’ right “The commissioners asked that our Employee Council to talk about certain subjects. have a chance to review the policy,” Scott said. “The Employee Sparkes discussed the relationship between Kent County’s Council came back with comments that it wasn’t clear to proposal and the outcome in Garcetti v. Ceballos, a 2006 them on what constituted appropriate or inappropriate use Supreme Court case that found that government employ- of Facebook and other social media sites. I don’t know for ers can exercise a level of control over what employees say certain, but the revisions might better clarify [this].” and do. But Sparkes said the ruling in that case refers to the “official speech” of an employee, not his or her personal comments when off the clock. Using himself in a hypothetical example, Sparkes said that while it’s obvious he couldn’t “I THINK FOLKS WHO DRAW disparage a colleague in a faculty meeting, if LINES AS FAR AS WHAT YOU his employer adopted Kent County’s original proposal, he couldn’t log on to his Facebook CAN AND CAN’T DO ON YOUR account from home and vent about what was FREE TIME ARE AVOIDING going on at the office, which Sparkes said is a big stretch from the conclusion of the Garcetti THE INEVITABLE.” case. MICHELE HOVET, CIO, ARVADA, COLO. “Kent County’s [May proposal] has extrapo- lated that to defi ne official speech in a way much broader than I understood the Garcetti court to be talking about,” Sparkes said. In a June 7 e-mail to Public CIO’s sister publication “[The court] described official speech as essentially speech Government Technology, Scott said Levy Court had a com- the government paid for. My private [statements] are not mittee meeting that evening in which the policy changes speech I was hired to make.” regarding a potential ban on social media use by Levy Court employees at both work and home would be further discussed. CHANGING LANDSCAPE According to a June 16 report in the Dover Post, Levy Court Social media use has been a hot-button issue for munici- commissioners approved a social media policy at their meet- pal governments for the last few years. In June 2009, citi- ing on June 14. The new policy doesn’t prevent county work- zens throughout Bozeman, Mont., cried foul when the city ers from using social media at home, but it does prohibit Kent required the disclosure of and access to a job applicant’s County employees from accessing and using social media social media profi les. during their workdays, unless instructed by their department While the Bozeman policy was quickly rescinded, it’s heads. Employees may, however, use social media on their clear that not everyone is comfortable with the quickly personal mobile devices during their lunch break. eroding line between business and personal privacy. The Post also revealed that county workers found guilty The change is happening, however, and many employers of “misconduct,” such as sexual harassment of another are embracing it. In Arvada, Colo., CIO Michele Hovet, an employee via social media, could face disciplinary action. avid Twitter user, touted the benefi ts of social media and Finally, any employee found violating the county’s social changed an employee’s job description so she could use her media policy could be terminated. enthusiasm for Facebook to increase the city’s marketing Scott did not return repeated messages from Government efforts and interaction with citizens. Technology seeking details regarding the commissioners’ Prior to this change, the employee was caught several times deliberations on the adopted policy. using her smartphone to access a personal Facebook account, in Prior to the Kent County proposal being adopted in June, violation of city policy against personal use of social media. “It the IT and legal community weighed in heavily on the free dawned on me that she knows how to do this, she has time to speech and social media question. monitor and respond,” said Hovet. “So now I’m trying to capitalize

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go on that. We were looking for someone with the passion and time resources to be proactive on monitoring our social media sites.” Hovet also revealed that Arvada’s policy only allows the use of social media for business reasons, but she’s hoping to change that in the future. “I think the world is changing, and with newer workers being socially connected, you have to manage that differently and let people use the tools, instead of trying to enforce the rules,” Hovet said. “For social media, I see it no different than a telecommuting employee. I expect a certain amount of productivity, but are they going to pick up a phone when their wife calls? Sure. But I don’t see that being a lot different POLICY PIPELINE between them sending a quick tweet or text message.” A growing number of governments are adopting policies that regulate how employees can use social media at work. Each HANDLING SOCIAL MEDIA of them are written diff erently. For a selected list of social As for the line between an employee’s speech on or off the clock, media policies in government, go to http://tinyurl.com/ Hovet felt that policymakers need to get past the fear factor and socialmediagovernance. let employees be more accountable for their actions. The list includes links to social media policies written by “I think folks who draw lines as far as what you can and Seattle, New York City, Massachusetts, Delaware, the Defense can’t do on your free time are avoiding the inevitable,” Hovet Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and many said. “Social media has been here, and it’s not going away. others. Locking it down is just going to create more management headaches in the long run.” David McClure, associate administrator of the General According to Bailey, Arkansas doesn’t have a policy that Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and restricts an employee’s personal communications on social Innovative Technologies, agreed that social media use is media during non-work times on personal equipment, unless inevitable. And while agencies can make a simple decision that communication was something like a death threat. to shut people off from it at work, it may ultimately be coun- “From my personal perspective, I still believe in the consti- terproductive. tutional values our forefathers set forth,” Bailey said. “I know “Regardless of whether we allow it in government or not, that sounds very American, apple pie and baseball, but ... I the one thing we have to realize is that the growing use of don’t see that blur of First Amendment rights.” new media, just in personal and consumer life, is escalating,” Instead of taking a “yes or no” approach to social media, McClure said. “And you can’t ignore that. You’d be ignoring McClure encouraged decision-makers to conduct an in-depth the reality of what people are using to obtain and share infor- evaluation of what social media sites can be used for, and then mation and create information sites.” write a fl exible policy governing their use by employees. In Arkansas, CTO Claire Bailey admitted that she found Most importantly, he emphasized the signifi cance of updat- herself in a “dilemma” regarding employee communica- ing policies and guidelines so they adapt as social networking tions on social media sites. Although she supports the use of use changes. To that end, McClure also pitched the best prac- Facebook and other social networks, she restricted their use tices examples located on Howto.gov, a website created to help to the state’s communications group after watching employ- government workers create a better customer experience. ees overuse Facebook for personal activities. In the case of using government equipment for personal “To me, freedom of speech is precious to our nation, so I am communication, however, McClure said the policies of an very cognizant and respectful of that. But at the same time, I agency or organization must be written to account for that, so have to be respectful of state laws,” Bailey said, adding that for workers are crystal clear on what speech is considered “free” now, social media use falls under Arkansas’ Internet Use Policy. and what speech is restricted, based on when that communi- The policy clearly states that employees can use the Internet cation is being delivered, in what medium and on what device. for personal communication briefl y during the workday, but “If you are using government resources, there are rules “any use that contains defamatory, false, inaccurate, abusive, employees are expected to abide by,” McClure explained. “If obscene, pornographic, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, those rules and guidelines are clearly stated and people racially offensive or otherwise biased, discriminatory or illegal know what they are, then there are no reasons why that material” is considered unacceptable. should be considered illogical.” ¨

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go [ CIO CENTRAL ] BY EDITORIAL STAFF

News, Reviews & Careers

CIO TRANSITIONS Kane was formerly Northrop Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia was Grumman’s IT services director on named Hawaii’s fi rst full-time CIO by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency Joint Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Bhagowalia National Integration Center Research previously served and Development Contract program. as deputy associate In June, Tom Suehs, executive com- administrator with missioner of the Texas Health and the Office of Citizen Human Services Commission, was Services and Innovative awarded the Bob Bullock Award for Technologies, a depart- Outstanding Public Stewardship at the ment of the U.S. Government Technology Conference General Services Southwest in Austin. Administration. The Bob Bullock Award is presented Sanjeev Bhagowalia began annually to a Texas state executive or “Sonny” Bhagowalia his new post July elected official for outstanding lead- 7 and will head Tom Suehs ership, innovation and a career that Hawaii’s recently established Office exemplifi es dedication to serving Texas of Information Management and citizens. The namesake for the award, Technology. public-sector IT community for his Bob Bullock, was a longtime fi xture in In June, Richard Boes was appointed project management expertise. the Texas Legislature. Vermont’s new CIO and commissioner From 2006 to 2008, Ramos directed of the Department of Information and the Office of Systems Integration that SURVEY FINDS CIOS ‘CAUTIOUSLY Innovation by Gov. Peter Shumlin. In manages the state Health and Human OPTIMISTIC’ ON BUDGET OUTLOOK his new position, Boes will be tasked Services Agency’s multibillion-dollar The CDW IT Monitor, a bimonthly with delivering IT services across each IT portfolio. index of confi dence and industry of Vermont’s state government branch- John Letchford officially became growth, found in its newest report es, according to the governor’s office. Massachusetts’ CIO in July. Letchford released in July that although there’s Boes’ background is was named deputy CIO in been a small decrease in budget recov- technology services in February 2008 and served ery, IT decision-makers are showing higher education. He has as the state’s acting CIO “cautious optimism” and making care- served as senior director beginning in summer 2010 ful decisions concerning IT spending. of IT services and chief when Anne Margulies quit “CIOs are looking at every IT invest- information security offi- as state CIO to become CIO ment in terms of how it makes sense cer for California State of Harvard University. After for the business, and our data show University, Fresno (Fresno taking the acting CIO posi- they are still spending on key invest- State) since 2005. Before tion, Letchford also contin- ments, including software and hard- his tenure at Fresno State, ued his role as deputy CIO. ware — particularly mobile devices, Boes was the director of John Letchford Northrop Grumman virtualization and security,” said network technology at has named Jim Kane vice Thomas Richards, president and chief Brown University. president and program manager for operating officer of CDW, in the report. California Gov. Jerry Brown named the company’s Virginia Information State governments are showing a Carlos Ramos state CIO in June. Technologies Agency program, the more favorable budget outlook, with Having worked for more than two public-private partnership manag- 32 percent of IT decision-makers in decades in various capacities for state ing the state’s IT service delivery and state governments expecting budget agencies, Ramos is well known in the infrastructure. increases, according to the report.

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Editorial Prepress �� PAGE �� Other OK to go Converge Special Report DOWNLOAD THE LATEST EDITION

Featuring: The emergence of the education dashboard Ideas to transform how we measure, evaluate and predict student results Examples of district, state, national and higher education dashboards The information behind the dashboard – data management systems Key technology considerations for implementing a dashboard

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Go to www.convergemag.com/2011Q3report to download.