Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano shot down the prospect of a cabinet-level information technology position during an online video address on Tuesday.
In response to a submitted question asking whether a cabinet-level position that is responsible for "technology and related effects, such as cybersecurity," Napolitano said that "segregating the IT function no longer is adequate," because computer networks and services are "part and parcel of everything we do."
Napolitano pointed to the federal chief information officer and chief technology officer, positions held by Vivek Kundra and Aneesh Chopra, respectively, as well as the yet-to-be-appointed cybersecurity coordinator as responsible for cross-government coordination of IT out of the White House.
"Government has the responsibility to lead," Napolitano said in prepared remarks. "Across the federal family, we're responding aggressively . . . [but] we still need to do more."
COMMENTS
The government as a whole needs a single voice for IT. It's exactly "because" each agency has critical needs that they should abdicate that specific level of authority to a higher office and remove their inherent level of bias.
I'm not saying that each agency shouldn't have their own IT guru's but they need to be playing to the same tune as everyone else. Yet, they've proven time and time again that because they focus solely on their own needs to the detrement of all others (my stuff is "far" more important than your stuff so you must not know what you're talking about) that the overall structure of government IT suffers due to a lack of commonality and integration of function.
The blinders need to come off. Secretary's from every federal agency in the government need to recognize that if IT requirements and security requirements are standardized across all of government then the "whole" government benefits. When efficiency is improved, costs are reduced, productivity increases and all of that translates to a WIN - WIN for John Q. Public ..
Creating a cabinet level position wouldn't "segregate" the IT function it would force the government to "centralize" the functionality. No one likes to be forced to do anything but "hey" .. I think it's pretty clear that collectively the fed has no particular or vested interest in doing anything on their own so grit your teeth and admit that this particular shoe fits pretty well .. Now, get off your collective backsides and go do something about it !!
JF 10/21/09 07:22 am ET