Tech Challenges and Opportunities in Government

A look at the week of August 2, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel

The Energy Department reported that the electrical grid is plagued with holes threatening national security, while studies cited by The Economist find that cyber-crime accounts for a loss of over $1 billion annually.  Across the country, states have begun to seek guidance on how best to implement health IT to improve deteriorating healthcare infrastructure. Lastly, legislation directed at small businesses has stalled in Congress. 

Grid Is Vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks – The Wall Street Journal reports that computer networks controlling the electric grid are plagued with security holes that could allow intruders to redirect power delivery and steal data.  According to a recent report from the Energy Department, many of the security vulnerabilities are strikingly basic and fixable problems, including a failure to install software security patches or poor password management.  

Cybersecurity in Congress – The Economist weighed in on the issue of cybersecurity through its Democracy in America blog, asserting that security experts have been warning for years that talented hackers could bring down America's banking system or electricity grid, but the threat has not been a high-priority issue on Capitol Hill.  According to the blog post, this year things have started to change now that the Obama administration is working on strengthening cybersecurity measures within the federal government.  

State CIOs Focus on Updating IT for National Healthcare – State government CIOs are focusing on upgrading IT systems to support some 24 million people expected to be using state health insurance exchanges by 2019 as part of the health care reform legislation passed by Congress late last year. According to BusinessWeek, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) study, dubbed Profiles of Progress 4: State Health IT Initiatives, is a compendium of activity underway by CIOs in U.S. states and provinces.
 
Obama’s Small-Biz Agenda Languishing – The Obama administration’s efforts to pass a bill to quickly boost small businesses have stalled. The Hill reports that the legislation was intended to be a cornerstone of President Obama’s second-year agenda, but has instead faced one of the most difficult and lengthy paths to passage on Capitol Hill. The legislation’s intention is to invest $30 billion to small businesses in order to spur growth and recovery, but Democrats have been unable to push it through the Senate.