California emulating the approach to adopt the industry trends of enterprise world

The discussion from Chris Cruz, Deputy Director & Deputy State CIO of the State of California revealed and validated a government approach to the current emerging enterprise infrastructure in bringing innovation, simplicity and secure access to the end users. DC consolidation initiative This is the global trend now in most of the enterprise world where… Read more California emulating the approach to adopt the industry trends of enterprise world

Global trends in governmental innovation practices

The purpose of this blog-post is to extend Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the state of California Chris Cruz’s initiated discussion about the governmental innovation practices to a global level. I believe my effort provides the reader with a deeper understanding about (a) a variety of innovative actions, (b) their reasons and (c) future development… Read more Global trends in governmental innovation practices

How can the US government hire the best tech employees?

As technology plays an increasingly important role in society, the government needs to update its services to meet the demands of technology savvy businesses and citizens. However, an aging workforce makes it difficult for the US government to adapt to new technologies. While in 2013 over 25% of the US private-sector workforce was less than… Read more How can the US government hire the best tech employees?

State Technology Offices Follow the Fed's Example

Chris Cruz, Deputy Director & Deputy State CIO of the State of California presented the goal of consolidation of the State’s thirty-four data centers down to three or four.  Mr. Cruz noted this as an opportunity to address inefficiencies in the IT structure of the various State agencies and provide standardization.  The State of California… Read more State Technology Offices Follow the Fed's Example

California's Tech Strategy Mirrors that of Large Enterprises

Chris Cruz’s discussion about the decisions being made by the state of California reminds me of the data strategy currently being pursued by large enterprises.  A key IT strategy for large enterprises currently involves gathering data already being generated, cleaning it up until it is useful, and then analyzing it to support decision-making. Cruz referred… Read more California's Tech Strategy Mirrors that of Large Enterprises

So Similar Yet So Different: CA State IT Infrastructure vs. a Fast-Growing For-Profit Company

Chris Cruz, Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Technology (CDT) and Deputy State Chief Information Officer (CIO), provided insight on sample initiatives he is currently leading. I was delighted to hear about the change he is driving and some of the innovative ways he is engaging with the public. IT Architecture: Simplicity by… Read more So Similar Yet So Different: CA State IT Infrastructure vs. a Fast-Growing For-Profit Company

CloudWashing

Chris Cruz made it clear during his guest lecture that the government of California is interested in stepping away from the public’s notion of an institution that is outdated, inefficient and boring. Changes listed to enable this metamorphosis included many that mirror technology companies in the private sector including compensation, cubicle-less open offices, a focus… Read more CloudWashing

New Challenges With Body Camera Footage

Chris Cruz gave a very insightful lecture into a topic many students, including myself, may be a bit underinformed about: technology use in government. Before this lecture, I assumed the technology used within the government would be extremely outdated and basic, however, Chris gave evidence that points to the opposite. For example, the centralized cloud… Read more New Challenges With Body Camera Footage

The CIO’s Balancing Act

During the MS&E 238 Week 1 lecture, Dr. Daniel Barreto introduced the class to the balancing act that CIOs face, as illustrated below1:     This balancing act is part of a broader set of common strategic tradeoffs facing all firms and their executive teams.  The CIO must not only effectively balance technology tradeoffs, but… Read more The CIO’s Balancing Act

Mobility and IoT (Internet of Things): CyberSecurity and Threat Prevention

Technology Evolution As 802.11 Wi-Fi networks have become more prevalent within the industry, Mobility Applications and IoT (Internet of Things) devices are being developed and evolving at a spectacular rate bringing us closer to connected and more intelligent networks. As of 2008, “the number of things connected to the Internet surpassed the human population. The… Read more Mobility and IoT (Internet of Things): CyberSecurity and Threat Prevention