Ten Considerations for a US Chief Technology Officer Role in the Obama Administration
1. Name the New Role: CTO
A cabinet level technology position would traditionally be called Secretary ... or in this case Secretary of Technology. Instead, use the name US Federal Government Chief Technology Officer or USG CTO. The objective is to establish a role and position name that stays as consistent as possible with the CTO function in profit driven enterprises.
2. Define a CTO Mission with Practical, Limited Scope
The CTO role has its origins in business. For it to be applicable in government, the effective CTO candidate (hopefully with experience in both goverment and business) should view the United States Federal Government not only from the traditional perspective of Branches and Agencies but also as a very large and (soon to be) efficient multi-Department, multi-national company. It might be beneficial to refer to the goverment by its initials (as one might refer to International Business Machines) ... call it USG. It might also be useful to define a more customer focused mission for USG (sightly different Support and Defend the Constitution..."), for example, "To Effectively and Efficiently Serve and Protect the Citizens of the United States of America". The CTO's mission would then follow, fully supporting the USG mission, specifically, "To Develop Technology Strategy and Infrastructure that Will Enable USG to be the Most Effective, Efficient and Securely Operating Entity in the World."
3. Clearly Define How the CTO Will Engage Agencies Outside the USG
To effectively support the USG, the CTO would need to frequently engage and coordinate with non-USG entities. In this capacity of working with entities other than USG, the CTO's activities should be limited to the following scope:
- Defining policies for businesses and other organizations when selling to, supporting or providing services to USG,
- Promoting investment in education, research and development for technologies needed by USG to meet future performance, cost and energy efficiency objectives,
- Sponsoring via NIST, HIGH PROFILE innovation awards that promote infrastructure needed to meet USG performance, cost and energy efficiency objectives. Offer large awards for invention AND methods that engage US workers and students in designing, automating, manufacturing, packaging and distributing solutions.
- Preparing and communicating general purpose non-binding guidelines for US commercial and non-government institutions based upon USG successes and best practices. Congress may link these guidelines to legislation that promotes performance, cost and energy efficiency standards.
4. Focus Less on Invention and More on Execution
Expect that within the realm of USG Departments, Government Contractors, and US Higher Education Institutions ... most of the components of any future technology strategy have already been considered, prototyped, developed and in some cases deployed. USG CTO should thus operate under the premise that:
- The primary goal of USG CTO will be to prune an overgrown forest of ideas and from it define a coherent, broad, yet practical technology strategy that addresses the full scope of challenges facing the USG,
- There will be need for invention, but initially the CTO should focus innovation efforts on the two most persistent technical challenges of the USG:
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- USG CTO must develop means to execute strategy in time frames that are situationally relevant,
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- USG CTO must work with Homeland Security to develop a capacity to continuously assess, improve and secure the aggregate USG technology infrastructure.
5. Establish a Clear and Consistent Role for Department Level CTOs
The USG CTO mission (as written above) will fully compliment Department level objectives. This will make it easier for Department CTOs to efficiently meet both Department and USG objectives.
The Department level CTOs will remain essential, more so after a cabinet level CTO has been appointed. The USG CTO will need significant input and direction from Department CTOs to successfully define a coherent yet focused USG strategy. Once that strategy has been developed, the need for urgency and effectiveness in implementing strategic objectives (as executed by Department CTOs) will become even more important.
Once a USG Technology strategy has been defined, Department level CTOs would need to work closely with the USG CTO to ensure Department technology priorities are made consistent with USG-wide priorities. Department CTOs would also be challenged to effectively advocate for funding in what is expected to be a difficult budget climate. Department level CTOs will bear the primary burden of turning strategy into operational successes and ensuring success within budget constraints.
The Department level CTOs will play an essential role in ensuring respective Departments focus on project execution, both in adapting USG-wide Infrastructure standards and in effecting Department efforts to consolidate, design, engineer, test, communicate, implement, monitor, maintain and improve operations.
6. Define a CTO Leadership Organization
USG CTO should establish senior Technology roles drawing upon skilled resources from both business and government. Initially, the following senior positions should be effected:
- Deputy CTO for Network Infrastructure - Responsible for Inter-Department, Intra-Department, USG Firewall, Telecommunications, Remote Access, Inter Agency Communications
- Deputy CTO for Computing Infrastructure - Responsible for the USG Data Center Network, Secure Mobile Computing Devices, Secure Computing Terminals and Telephones
- Deputy CTO for Information Infrastructure - Responsible for Identity Management, Enterprise Applications, National Databases, Electronic Files
- Deputy CTO for Security Strategy - Responsible for strategies supporting the aggregate computing infrastructure of USG and USG connected enterprises
- Deputy CTO for Cost Efficiency Strategy - Responsible for developing strategies to lower the cost of all technology related processes within USG
- Deputy CTO for Energy Efficiency Strategy - Responsible for developing strategies to lower the energy consumption of all technology systems and processes within USG
7. Develop a Standardized, Secure Computing Infrastructure
Design and implement over a 24 month period an entirely new high performance, cost and energy efficient, secure USG Computing Infrastructure that includes:
- Data Center Network (DCN) - Establish a network of central and Department data centers based upon a fully virtualized high performance reference platform. The reference design would integrate clustered wide-bus (standards based) computing engines with multi-tier virtualized storage. The new Data Center Design would reduce the space and power requirements for a thousand servers to the equivalent of four standard server racks ... more than a fifty percent (50%) reduction in energy consumption.
- Identity Management (USG ID) - Establish a single identity management system from existing NIST and Homeland Security plans. Define a master ID that combines physical and electronic authentication and establish an ID for all USG entities including: persons, supplier business entities and government units. Extend the USG ID system to provide the basis for a commercially supported National ID program. Enable National ID to eventually replace tax ID and voter IDs. Establish a privacy monitoring system in conjunction with the FBI that rapidly identifies and remedies improper use or theft of National IDs.
- National Library Database and Electronic Files - This is a three part effort:
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- Establish via NIST and the Library of Congress a USG-wide reference data schema for secure electronic exchange of file information about persons and organizations that supports multiple privacy and security levels within each file,
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- Establish a National Library database for uniquely tracking and identifying all US entities and USG assets including people, organizations and organizational units, budgeted projects and other government initiatives (USG ID would be the national library database (NLD) for people). Create a secure electronic electronic filing system within USG DCN for all National Library Database entities. Use this database as the system of record for final budget, payments, taxes, law enforcement and FOIA information. Expose public portions of each file as appropriate for accelerating ePayments and commerce.
- Secure Computing Platform - Recognized that none of the ongoing Federal end point security efforts will secure existing personal computers and mobile devices. Also the time and cost needed to retrofit real security into current desktop systems will exceed that available to any single presidential administration. The CTO should plan to replace all current devices with new low-cost secure devices. The CTO should plan to phase out all personal computing technologies that cannot be secured. USG CTO should plan implementation efforts similar to the following:
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- Replace all Desktops with Secure terminals with SmartCard and biometric authentication - Modern terminal technology can display high speed graphics from virtualized computers hosted on the USG DCN and support multiple displays ... yet they use a fraction of the energy of personal computers and can be secured,
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- Mobile devices upgraded with strong encrypted communications, encrypted storage, biometric and alphanumeric authentication,
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- Work with equipment manufacturers via USGAO to establish low-cost sources for USG Secure Computing technology products (goal $300 per terminal, $25 incremental cost over non-secure mobile devices) (12 months).
8. Grow Jobs by Accellerating Steps to Bring New Products to Market
For the US to be globally competitive in manufacturing, the steep, up hill path needed to turn an idea into a safe, manufactured product must be turned downward. To accomplish this, every step in the innovation cycle ... from drafting an invention design to shipping a newly made product, must be examined and made as fast, simple and inexpensive as possible. The primary objective is to reduce the total cost to small business of effectively meeting all local, state, and federal government standards.
Unfortunately, an inventor in the US can create manufacturing jobs in China faster and easier than he/she can in Ohio. This is because the time and cost to turn an idea into a new product in China can be measured in weeks and thousands of dollars instead of years and millions of dollars.
To achieve this objective, the level of efficiency in the US must ultimately exceed that of competing countries that don't meet US environmental and consumer protections. The CTO should work with Commerce, states and business develop a baseline "rapid product to market" regulatory platform. He should then work with Commerce to monitor progress, i.e. the reduction in time and effort needed to register, patent/trademark/copyright, secure manufacturing permits, perform consumer protection testing, file product registrations, and other regulatory tasks.
Only some of the potential changes needed to get ideas to market faster would fall under the purview of the CTO. The Dept of Commerce should lead a multi-Department effort. States that make the most rapid progress should be awarded prizes.
9. Implement National ID to Grow Jobs, Reduce Cost of Business
The CTO should develop strategies for enabling business to improve job growth, efficiency and security within the US by implementing a National Library Database (NLD) of all business entities and National ID (NID) for all persons. Examples of how NLD and NID can be used to foster job growth include:
- Linking professional certification information with business IDs, and online service history - For small businesses to sell to most entities, they must establish a both formal proof of capability (or certification) and a less formal history or reputation. Today, it is far easier for businesses to establish the needed formal and informal bona fides to sell globally members of eBay or GetACoder than it is to sell to "the Government" agencies even though businesses formally register establishment, profits and taxes to same. The CTO should work with industry to establish a trusted business ecosystem similar to eBay that will ensure all businesses that file profit and taxes with the USG are "known" and able to sell to all government (and possibly non-govt.) agencies based upon their performance history.
- Making Universal Use of National ID - Airlines, banks, stores, state government agencies, local licensing agencies, schools and other organizations spend millions of dollars each year maintaining their separate identification systems for buyers. With National ID and eAuthentication, the same ID used to collect a tax refund could be leveraged nationally, much like a driver's license or passport, to register for college, sign-up for an airline frequent flier program or to open a bank account.
10. Require US Content for USG Technology
Most computers purchased in the US today are manufactured with no US labor and have little or no US manufactured content. If the US is to be successful at producing more than it consumes and thus able to eliminate the trade deficit, USG will need to "walk-the-talk" and purchase more US manufactured goods. The CTO should require that within 24 months of the start of the new administration, 49% of all new technology systems purchased by USG be manufactured in the US. The CTO should also require that when acquiring any technology systems deemed essential, that USG only acquire systems that CAN be purchased from US suppliers and made with US components even if sourced or manufactured overseas.
Considerations for a US CTO Position, prepared by Warren Jones, November 15, 2008
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What the Next President Should Say
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BRIEF
With continued weakness in the U.S. dollar
and increases in India labor costs due to greater talent
competition and wage expectations, I expected to see changes in the
shift of U.S. service work to India. Indeed, during a recent trip
to India, I did see clear evidence of a slowdown in U.S.
outsourcing growth. But based upon confidential estimates from in
country contacts, the U.S. outsourcing market is still growing
(albeit at a slower rate), and any slowdown in U.S. growth will be
more than covered by anticipated growth from Europe, Asia, South
America and Africa.
In chatting with the car driver about
prices in India, he calculated that the dollar, approaching three
to a hundred rupee, buys just a kilogram of the cheap shorter grain
rice. Calculating further, he indicated the same dollar buys just a
few cups of the prized long grain balsamati used for many local
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Customer Solutions Profit Form Updated
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Applies To
Use This When
Action Plan
P&L Impact
Link to Customer Solutions Profit Form
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BRIEF
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But that's another thread.
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We budgeted 2-3x redundancy, i.e. 6 servers.
In Jan our engineers, Jim, Tom, Ryan, Chris, Rolando and the rest of Albert's team began working in earnest on the project. As you can guess, the hardware design required a little more than:
Step 1: Pull Dell out of box ,
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For most companies, the Internet should not
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improve your Internet assets to make it easiest for segments to
both find and buy your products. This is only the first phase of an
overall profit strategy that includes Profit Forms analysis and constant
optimization of the product-segment mix. WJones
Question
I am
researching
options for developing and growing my company's
website. Experience has
provided me with plenty of opinions on what to do, but I am
interested in formalizing to a greater degree my approach and am
curious about options for utilizing existing plans or tools for
defining Internet strategy.
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BRIEF
Southwest and JetBlue constantly work to
understand the expectations of their customers, then quickly make
their businesses a menu for meeting those expectations. As a
result, they have been able to focus their service models,
generating higher customer satisfaction with simpler, more
efficient business design.
Finally, a Flight That Meets Expectations
Of course I was sad to leave Grande Lakes Orlando. It's a beautiful property and I had completely missed every opportunity to enjoy it for three days as I attempted to prepare a budget and meet with suppliers.
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Topic: IP Telephony / Voice Over IP Implementation and the RFP Process
Venue: International Legal Technology Association's 2007 Conference in Orlando.
Data/Time: 2:00 pm, August 23, 2007
Speakers:
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Presentation
- Flash (click each page to advance)
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Dean's presentation and full ILTA event content will be available on the ILTA '07 website.
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BIZSCI IN
BRIEF
Many U.S. domestic air carriers still
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Broken?
It's 11:30 pm. After a two hour delay, I had
finally boarded a commuter plane at Atlanta's Hartsfield
International en route to Dulles and home. Instead of taking off,
it seemed that something was very wrong. Although the passengers
had been asked to take their seats, fifteen minutes had passed with
no one to close the door. Worse still, the flight attendants looked
like anxious parents at a child's birthday party hoping it
really was a good idea to reserve a clown just returning
from rehab.
Lemmings Can Stay Seated
A meticulously
dressed business woman in the isle seat to my right was more than
concerned about the delay. She first asked and then demanded to
know what was going on. I paused my iPod long enough to determine
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Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Twenty minutes later, I noticed
the passenger had returned, her black pumps slightly wobbly and her
matching skirt slightly wrinkled. She was quietly saying something
with an expression that begged attention, so I paused my wireless
headset again. With a tenor that could have been a sob if her tear
ducts were working, she quietly heaved,
"They said I have to leave the plane. ..... Was I
threatening?"
A woman behind her, seemingly fully occupied with the tag team
effort to subdue a two-year old lifted her head and offered, "Yes,
you were rude."
The Entertainment Arrives
Before the
passenger was removed, she had been successful with short words to
gain an attendant's assistance in "allowing" her to remove her
seat-belt and pose a question to a person in-charge. She had then
walked to front of the plane, unfortunately finding the person in
charge was the same efficiently listening attendant. Incredulous
that there was no pilot or co-pilot AND that she was
expected to sit indefinitely without explanation, I surmised that
she began making quiet demands ... first that someone call to find
out what the !*_k happened to the pilots and then that someone tell
the passengers when the !*_k they would be departing.
I didn't hear her directly, but the next two announcements told the
story. Three minutes after she left her seat came the first
announcement,
"This is the flight attendent. As I am sure you have noticed our
departure is delayed. Unfortunately, our pilots have not yet
boarded the plane, but they should be arriving shortly. Thank you
for your patience."
Five minutes later came the second announcement,
"I am pleased to announce that our pilots have arrived! After a
short pre-flight checklist, our plane will depart
momentarily."
Based upon the short time between the arrival of the pilots and the
ejection of the passenger, it seems the pilots must have been
greeted by the same senior attendant, requesting authorization to
immediately remove a disorderly passenger.
