As President-elect Obama continues to announce his new cabinet choices, the suspense is building around the country regarding who will lead the charge as the nation's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) that he promised in his plan. More importantly, what will get done?
There are plenty of great articles in cyberspace on this topic. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) online offered a detailed analysis of top choices. Here's an excerpt:
"Julius Genachowski, a venture capitalist based in Washington, D.C., who oversaw creation of the voluminous tech plan Mr. Obama released during the campaign, is also expected to join the new administration, possibly as CTO. Mr. Genachowski declined to comment.
Mr. Genachowski was one of Mr. Obama's Harvard Law School classmates, and he worked at the FCC during the Clinton administration under then-chairman Reed Hundt. After leaving government, Mr. Genachowski served in several roles at the media and e-commerce conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp., first as general counsel and head of corporate development and later as chief of business operations."
While we're waiting, the Tech Plan itself is worth reading. There are many promises and a clear direction is evident. The problem statement starts off with this, "We need to connect citizens with each other to engage them more fully and directly in solving the problems that face us. We must use all available technologies and methods to open up the federal government, creating a new level of transparency to change the way business is conducted in Washington and giving Americans the chance to participate in government deliberations and decision-making in ways that were not possible only a few years ago."
Meanwhile the Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency is about set to issue their report on what needs to get done in the security space.
A Google search on "Obama and technology" yields over 83 million results, so there are plenty of websites to visit if you want to explore further.
One thing is for sure, technology will be a central theme in the Obama Administration. They used technology very effectively during the campaign, and they want to continue that momentum as they govern. Get ready for infrastructure improvements to include our critical cyber infrastructure. The stimulus package should include dollars for state and local governments which should help as well.
I am condfident that his tech-savvy team will also see the urgent needs the nation has regarding cyber security. However, the economy may dictate how much happens and how quickly.
What are your thoughts?
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