Government Technology - November 2008 - (Page 6)

point of view It’s Almost Over Group Publisher: EDITORIAL Editor: Associate Editors: Chief Copy Editor: Managing Editor: Justice and Public Safety Editor: Copy Editor: Features Editor: Assistant Editor: Staff Writer: Editorial Assistant: Contributing Editor: Contributing Writer: DESIGN Creative Director: Senior Designer: Graphic Designers: Illustrator: Production Director: Production Manager: PUBLISHING VP Strategic Accounts: VP Bus. Development: DON PEARSON dpearson@govtech.com STEVE TOWNS stowns@govtech.com EMILY MONTANDON emontandon@govtech.com CHAD VANDER VEEN cvanderveen@govtech.com MIRIAM JONES mjones@govtech.com KAREN STEWARTSON kstewartson@govtech.com JIM MCKAY jmckay@govtech.com ELAINE RUNDLE erundle@govtech.com ANDY OPSAHL aopsahl@govtech.com MATT WILLIAMS mwilliams@govtech.com HILTON COLLINS hcollins@govtech.com CORTNEY TOWNS ctowns@govtech.com TOD NEWCOMBE tnewcombe@govtech.com LESLIE FRIESEN, ADAM STONE KELLY MARTINELLI kmartinelli@govtech.com CRYSTAL HOPSON chopson@govtech.com MICHELLE HAMM mhamm@govtech.com JOE COLOMBO jcolombo@govtech.com TOM MCKEITH tmckeith@govtech.com STEPHAN WIDMAIER swidm@govtech.com JOEI HEART jheart@govtech.com JON FYFFE jfyffe@govtech.com TIM KARNEY tkarney@govtech.com EAST LESLIE HUNTER lhunter@govtech.com EAST SHELLEY BALLARD sballard@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL MELISSA CANO mcano@govtech.com EAST ERIN HUX ehux@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL GLENN SWENSON gswenson@govtech.com KRISTA O’SULLIVAN kosullivan@govtech.com LISA DOUGHTY ldoughty@govtech.com KEVIN MAY kmay@govtech.com SABRINA SHEWMAKE sshewmake@govtech.com CHRISTINE CHILDS cchilds@govtech.com JENNIFER VALDEZ jvaldez@govtech.com ANDREA KLEINBARDT akleinbardt@govtech.com WHITNEY SWEET wsweet@govtech.com LANA HERRERA lherrera@govtech.com KARIN MORGAN kmorgan@govtech.com STACEY TOLES stoles@govtech.com JIM MEYERS jmeyers@govtech.com VIKKI PALAZZARI vpalazzari@govtech.com PETER SIMEK psimek@govtech.com MICHELLE MROTEK mmrotek@govtech.com JULIE DEDEAUX jdedeaux@govtech.com GOSIA USTASZEWSKA subscriptions@govtech.com DENNIS MCKENNA dmckenna@govtech.com DON PEARSON dpearson@govtech.com CATHILEA ROBINETT crobinet@centerdigitalgov.com LISA BERNARD lbernard@govtech.com PAUL HARNEY pharney@govtech.com ALAN COX acox@govtech.com DREW NOEL dnoel@govtech.com I t’s November 2008 and I imagine many of you are thinking something along the lines of, “Good Lord, this awful year can’t be over soon enough!” As I write this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is hovering somewhere around 8 — down 9,000 percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, a good number of us would probably increase our property values if we burned our houses down. And if you or any of your loved ones were employed by or had investments with Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, IndyMac or First Priority Bank — well, I’m sorry. cies that are feeling the financial pinch — i.e., almost all of them. From Indiana comes a story by Features Editor Andy Opsahl, who takes you on a comprehensive tour of the state’s consolidation strategy. Indiana CIO Gerry Weaver says his state is saving $14 million a year thanks to the technology overhaul. Other stories in this issue run the gamut — from sending crime tips to cops via text messaging, to how mobile technology can enhance public transit and minimize the irritation of trying to find parking spots in the big city. Regional Sales Directors: Account Managers: There is still a lot of good news out there. But November is also a time to remember the people and things we are thankful for. And there is still a lot of good news out there. On our cover is an excellent story by Assistant Editor Matt Williams. He reports on the latest trends in government Web portals. At all public-sector levels, Web technology promises to deliver unprecedented levels of constituent service and open new avenues for citizens to connect with their government. With many agencies taking a second or third look at their budgets, Staff Writer Hilton Collins examines an emerging method for maximizing resources and cutting costs. His story on desktop virtualization sheds more light on a strategy that really can help agenOf course, around the time you’re reading this, we should have a new president-elect. No matter where you fall in the political spectrum, you’ve got to give some credit to whoever wins. After all, I imagine the presidency is a job very few of us would want at this point in time. It’s going to be a long and difficult road for the nation. And it will be especially trying for whomever we choose to lead us along it. Oh, and here’s an insider tip: Look for the surprise return and eventual election of former candidate Fred Thompson. It’s as sure a bet as real estate and stocks. Business Development Dir.: Bus. Dev. Managers: Regional Sales Admins: National Sales Admin: Dir. of Marketing: Dir. of Custom Events: Associate Dir. of Custom Events: Custom Events Coordinator: Dir. of Custom Publications: Custom Publications Writer: Dir. of Web Products and Services: Web Services Manager: Proj. Manager, Web Products and Services: Web Advertising Manager: Subscription Coordinator: CORPORATE CEO: Executive VP: Executive VP: CAO: CFO: VP of Events: Marketing Director: CHAD VANDER VEEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR Government Technology is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2008 by e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Government Technology is a registered trademark of e.Republic Inc. 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 to the YGS Group: Attn. Erik Eberz at (800) 290-5460 ext.150 or governmenttechnology@theygsgroup.com. Subscription Information: Requests for subscriptions may be directed to Circulation Director by phone or fax to the numbers below. You can also subscribe online at www.govtech.com. NOV_08 j 6 Raise Your Voice Your opinions matter to us. Send comments about this issue to the editors editorial@govtech.com. Please list your telephone number for confirmation. Publication is solely at the discretion of the editors. Government Technology reserves the right to edit submissions for length. 100 Blue Ravine Rd. 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Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2008

Government Technology - November 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for … Forward Thinkers Taking Tech Home Virtual Frontier Hidden Costs Uncovered Seeing Red For the Record In the Loop Benign Dictatorship Home-Field Advantage A Better Way to Park New Tools for Fighting Crime How It Works Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - November 2008

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