50 Most Influential Government CIOs
June 07, 2011 07:00 AM Check out InformationWeek's Government CIO 50, our power list of top government CIOs--ranging from the NSA's technology chief to innovators at the state and city government level. They've got vision, clout, and sometimes, billion-dollar IT budgets. But most of all, these CIOs are known for delivering tangible, measurable results. Here's an inside look at the government technology leaders and their approaches to unique IT leadership challenges.
Vivek Kundra, Federal CIO, Office of Management and Budget
After two years of outlining strategy and introducing government-wide IT initiatives, federal CIO Vivek Kundra is now focused on making them work. Data center consolidation, cloud computing, open government, project management, IT reform--it's all about execution now. In February 2010, Kundra announced a five-year data center consolidation effort, which he kicked off with a survey of the federal data center landscape. That study revealed more than 2,000 federal data centers, a number Kundra plans to reduce by 40% over the next five years.
How will he meet that aggressive goal? OMB's "cloud first" policy is intended to help agencies fill the requirements gap. Another major focus has been driving increased performance and accountability within federal IT, especially for long-term, big-ticket projects. Kundra paused dozens of major federal systems modernization projects and other IT programs, to the consternation of the tech contractors. He called CIOs into project review sessions, called TechStat, and is directing agency CIOs to conduct similar reviews. He also launched a 25-point plan for reforming federal IT.
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