Government Technology - December 2008 - (Page 12)

Three Issues that STEVE TOWNS | EDITOR W HAT ISSUES had the biggest influence on government’s technology use in 2008? That’s a broad question and a tough one to answer. I’ll take a crack at it, anyway. The following list is subjective, but it’s based on topics that drove our coverage throughout the year, and it’s shaped by what we heard from readers at events across the country. These particular issues are significant because each drove multiple IT-related activities this year — and they’ll continue to do so in 2009. Before we reach the main course, though, I’ll add a few caveats. My list could easily include data security and mobile applications. I chose to leave them off. Security is a bottom-line concern that’s crucial any year; therefore, it didn’t shape 2008 any more than last year. Mobility’s growing like wildfire, but it’s narrower than the topics below. So, here are three issues that made the cut: Mattered vidual and corporate tax revenues were an early casualty of the slowing U.S. economy, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which tracks state budget issues. October’s stock market nosedive will push revenue collection lower still, the group said. “This situation is as bad as I’ve ever seen it,” said NCSL Executive Director Bill Pound, in a mid-October statement. “States have been confronted with bad economic circumstances in the past, but not so many and not all at once. State budgets have a very rough road ahead.” From a technology perspective, the crumbling economy has several implications. With fewer dollars to go around, budget prioritization became a dominant concern. Over the year, we talked to many CIOs who sought to strengthen IT governance, and they were exploring tools like ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and portfolio management to do it. Mounting fiscal pressure also will intensify the consolidation trend that’s been under way for the past few years. Nearly anywhere you went in 2008, state and local agencies were merging separate IT systems and staffs to wring every last bit of value from their technology investments. Among the 2008 milestones: Indiana finished a consolidation initiative that pared the Salary Database Sparks Controversy MARCH — A Sacramento, Calif., newspaper’s online searchable database of state worker salaries triggers debate over public information versus privacy. The database, created by The Sacramento Bee, disclosed workers’ names, salaries, job classiﬁcations and work locations. Public employees said release of the data threatened their safety. The Bee contends it was merely giving citizens access to public information. Economic Meltdown LET’S TAKE CARE OF THE BAD NEWS FIRST. Budgets for many states and localities were bad throughout 2008 — and they were poised to worsen as the year ended. IndiDEC_08 12 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - December 2008

Government Technology - December 2008 Contents Point of View Four Questions for... On the Scene Big Picture Year in Review Who Controls Your Network? Paper Makes a Comeback Halting Meth Abuse Spectrum Up Close signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Becoming a Digital Community Rethinking 700 MHz Smart Grids: Powering the Future Gearing Up for Crime 2.0 Software Predicts Crime Local Portals on the Red Carpet More Than Just a Pretty Face

Government Technology - December 2008

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