Government Technology - December 2007 - (Page 19)

IN THE LATE ’80s, society began to embrace all things electronic, triggering an explosion in the amount of electronic data reaching the public sector. Luckily the Information Age opened the door for new, intelligent database software to better organize and store billions of bits of information. Local area networks (LANs) moved from obscurity to commonplace as agencies and organizations demanded more efficient ways to exchange data. In those early days, office automation was on everyone’s mind. How could these new capabilities be harnessed to maximize resources? One solution championed by both the public and private sector was telecommuting. Though at the time, few had the infrastructure to permit widespread telecommuting, most correctly predicted the technology would soon be in place. But telecommuting, like the paperless office, continues to be an elusive goal. It isn’t for want of technology that these scenarios remain rare; rather, it’s an unwillingness on the part of those who could see it through to reality. Telecommuting exemplifies the pivotal challenge of the Information Age — whether or not the technology exists, changing people is the biggest hurdle. Time and again, this truth would play out as technology adoption progressed. Over the years, the people problem manifested itself in countless ways. As the ’80s ended, state and local governments eagerly sought ways to exchange information. Territorial issues, however, remained a thorn in everyone’s side. But the outlook wasn’t entirely grim. Expanding network capabilities and the impending World Wide Web would dramatically enhance people’s ability and willingness to share information. ‘OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THIS NEW GADGET?’ P Agarwal recalls the arrival of .K. desktop PCs in government. In the early 1980s, the arrival of personal computers triggered a wrenching transition for government agencies. P Agarwal, now California’s chief .K. technology officer, had a front-row seat for the revolution. In 1982, Agarwal was in charge of information technology for California’s massive Department of General Services. As PCs began appearing on agency desktops, they presented a clear challenge to the status quo. “There was a lot of suspicion with this new technology,” Agarwal said. “It was taking power away from the hands of the few and putting it in the hands of the masses. So naturally there was the normal resistance to these ideas.” The unfamiliar machines were particularly threatening to upper management, he recalled. “The senior executives, they didn’t want to look dumb. At the time, people felt like, ‘Oh my God, what is this new gadget?’ I remember personally teaching people how to use a spreadsheet, how to use simple database and word processing.” In reality, rank-and-file employees were no better prepared than their bosses. “People were literally for the first time touching computers, so they were really afraid they were going to break something,” said Agarwal. User training and acceptance was just one challenge associated with introducing PCs into government agencies. Purchasing the devices also was a struggle — every detail of the new technology had to be painstakingly specified, which often encouraged more foot-dragging by reluctant management. Of course, those growing pains ultimately proved worthwhile. “The end result was you can see the enormous gains in productivity in government and in private sector,” he said. “Really we are all benefiting from the economic impact on that.” STEVE TOWNS, EDITOR By most accounts, a terabyte is still pretty big. But it was huge in 1988, which was when California’s Teale Data Center reached that mark. At the time, the center, and its 400 employees, was regarded as one of the country’s largest computer installations. 1 989 Controversy surrounds an announcement that cold fusion has been achieved Apple introduces Mac Portable Motorola releases the MicroTAC mobile phone, which incorporated the first “flip phone” design First transAtlantic fiberoptic cable j Intel releases 486 processor 19 87-89 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - December 2007

Government Technology - December 2007 Contents Point of View Big Picture Profile The Last Mile GT Spectrum Well...How Did We Get Here? Dark Spaces A Paler Shade of Green? Decertification Dilemma Game On Two Cents Products Signal:Noise

Government Technology - December 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.