Top 3 technology trends: What will technology innovation bring to government IT in 2012?
By Monique Lucey, HP Networking Group Industry Solutions Marketing
1. Cloud computing: Cloud computing continues to be at the forefront of government CIOs’ minds. Earlier this year, former United States CIO Vivek Kundra released the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy. In it, Kundra, who tendered his resignation in June, states not only that cloud computing provides a fundamental shift in information technology, significantly improving public sector IT, but that governments should be advised to follow what he calls a Cloud First policy.
Governments have been notoriously cautious when dealing with the cloud. Concerns about security have caused many government CIOs—for which the security stakes are quite high—to question implementing the cloud. But, according to an Ovum report, “2012 Trends to Watch: Government Technology,” the cloud is maturing and thus, government CIOs should consider the opportunities it can bring into their IT strategies and development policies.
The cloud has revolutionized the way IT can be managed and sourced, which makes it an important option for government. State and local governments have started purchasing cloud services from state governments rather than from third-party vendors. A shared services approach will enable agencies to proactively share information and comply with the Open Government mandate to better manage the Freedom of Information Act that provides the right to access information from the federal government.
Governments need to focus on becoming more efficient, implementing policy and securing citizen and government data, all of which demand robust networking capabilities. By adopting a cloud environment, government agencies benefit from increased agility, control and security.
2. Big data analytics: Ovum’s report also found that government technology trends in 2012 will include greater interest in big data analytics. Like most businesses these days, governments are expected to give and do more with less. Additionally, coming to timely policy decisions and providing citizens with accurate data means governments need to implement strategies that allow them to do business smarter. By analyzing huge amounts of data quickly and efficiently through information optimization, organizations benefit by seeing a few moves ahead of the play. In this way, big data analytics can help governments locate wasteful spending and other inefficiencies within the organization and make the necessary adjustments.
But big data analytics is only done well when supported by flexible and scalable wired and wireless network architecture. Take for example the use of networks to track the whereabouts of ankle-strapped parolees. By analyzing billions of GPS signals emitted by the ex-cons’ “jewelry,” public safety agencies can remotely track and predict suspicious behavior.
3. Collaboration: Governments are employing social media to better engage and connect government workers and citizens with one another and to make government more responsive in many ways. Expansion of socialytics will provide greater insight into citizen opinions and public safety needs.
Leading the way in collaboration is explosive new growth in mobile devices and new mobile applications. Citizens and government workers alike, are bringing their own mobile devices everywhere and expect access to government networks from anywhere, anytime.
In order to accommodate public sector collaborative efforts and the technologies that accompany them, it’s imperative to have a modern open-standards-based network architecture that is flexible and can easily integrate with third-party networking technologies.
Explore how you can better take advantage of these tech trends by upgrading to a flexible and modern network: HP FlexNetwork Architecture. Then check out HP Networking technologies especially designed for state and local governments.
Which public sector technology trends do you expect to see in 2012?
Let us know! Comment right here, if you’d like and we can continue the conversation.
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