Vivek Kundra Tries for Creative Solutions to Tech Issues
Nominated by President Barack Obama as the first Federal Chief Information Officer in the nation, Vivek Kundra is trying to freshen up IT in the public sector. His other efforts in Information Technology netted him recognition from InfoWorld as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year and he was recently named Chief of the Year by Information Week. With past expertise as Chief Technology Officer for Washington, D.C., Vivek Kundra has the expertise to cope with the Information Technology challenges that he now has before him.
Vivek Kundra is responsible for guaranteeing that the public has user-friendly access to government information. He is also accountable for rethinking the way the public interacts with the government in this information age and economy. His model for fulfilling all of this is with the use of off-the-shelf applications, cloud computing, open-source technology, and concepts such as Facebook and the like, that motivate American citizens to self-organize on the Worldwide Web.
While serving the District of Columbia he executed various initiatives that saved residents tax dollars. One project was a transfer for District employees to free Google platforms for e-mail, spreadsheets and PowerPoint. His first public move as part of the President’s administration was preparing a new feature on USASpending.gov. It goes by the name “IT Dashboard.” This feature outlines U.S investments in the tech sector and provides a timeline for project completion. He accomplished this project with New Media Director Macon Phillips.
It seems as though for Vivek Kundra, the time is now for executing innovative Information Technology initiatives. His hope is to disseminate more information to the public and to facilitate active communication between government offices. He is leading a Federal government technology system that is employing cloud computing, open source, and other ways to help the Federal government achieve its challenging Web 2.0 goals.
