Improving IT Security Through Implementing Sound Enterprise IT Governance

In the face of ever-increasing cybersecurity risks, significant attention is being paid toward improving preparedness and response of agencies, vulnerabilities and threats. throughout  the public sector.

A long view on innovating for acquisition reform – Set a Vision and Start Down a Path

The federal government achieves a significant part of its mission by working with and through organizations outside agency walls, primarily through grants, contracts, and similar agreements. The work of government contracting is a very large piece of this pie – whether for information technology, physical goods, or other professional services, nearly half of all federal discretionary spending falls into the acquisition category.

How government can securely leverage cloud environments

From the OMB “Cloud First” strategy, to GSA’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), the government is following commercial best practices to leverage the cloud.

Cloud capabilities can be provided over the public Internet or through connections over private networks -- and government does both. Some agencies establish private clouds due to perceived risks of making data available over public channels. At the same time, they are moving toward greater use of the open Internet, including public clouds.

The DATA Act and Transparency: 4 Ways that Industry Will Benefit

Late last week, the President signed into law the Digital Accountability and Transparency (DATA) Act.  As summarized by the Administration’s release statement, the DATA Act will

Achieving enterprise security to support agency services

Increased connectivity has transformed and improved access to government – citizens today can connect with government agencies and leaders in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

New Research Report Recipients

We are pleased to announce our latest round of awards for new reports on key public sector challenges, which respond to priorities identified in the Center's long-term research agenda, see businessofgovernment.org/content/research-stipends.

We expect the following reports to be published in early 2015.  Details of each report are included in the below short summaries.

 

Introducing the Center's New Health Fellow, Dr. Keith Salzman

In light of the ever-increasing demand for health care services due to demographic shifts, technology innovations, and consumer expectations, government plays a critical role in delivering services to a diverse population through a wide range of health-related programs.

How agencies' security efforts can drive economic growth

Understanding the link between cybersecurity, physical assets and economic growth can help the government design an approach that provides both IT and economic security. A cyber incident can have physical impacts, while a physical incident can have cyber implications -- and both are likely to come with economic costs.

To foster a climate in which cyber and physical assets foster economic vitality, both risks must be addressed and technology must be seen as a key player in economic development.

Reflections on government excellence on the anniversary of 9/11

First, a reflection of events from Sep 11, 2001: I was the career deputy advisor for OMB on IT and E-Government issues. On that day, our office was working closely with the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG) to host a meeting of international IT leaders – one of the early meetings of CIOs and equivalent executives from multiple countries, done in partnership with CEG (which for many years led government, industry, academia, non-profits, and civil society groups generally on technology and management excellence initiatives).

Making Data Real – Lessons From and For Federal Leaders

In a panel discussion (watch the video) led by the Partnership’s Judy England-Joseph, three government leaders detailed the lessons learned from their experience that can help other agencies in the sound use of analytics to make decisions. Specifically: Social Security Administration (SSA) - Gerald Ray runs the Disability Appeals process. He observed that the disability review process required significant knowledge of regulatory compliance as well as the specifics of each individual case.

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Executive Director
IBM Center for The Business of Government
600 14th Street, NW
Second Floor
Washington, DC 20005
United States
(703) 627-5108

Dan Chenok is Executive Director of the IBM Center for The Business of Government. He oversees all of the Center's activities in connecting research to practice to benefit government, and has written and spoken extensively around government technology, cybersecurity, privacy, regulation, budget, acquisition, and Presidential transitions. Mr. Chenok previously led consulting services for Public Sector Technology Strategy, working with IBM government, healthcare, and education clients.

Mr. Chenok serves in numerous industry leadership positions. He is a CIO SAGE and member of the Research Advisory Council with the Partnership for Public Service, Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Policy Committee for the Senior Executives Association, Member of the Government Accountability Office Polaris Advisory Council for Science and Technology, and Member of the American University IT Executive Council. Previously, he served as Chair of the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) for the government-led American Council for Technology (ACT), Chair of the Cyber Subcommittee of the DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, Chair of the NIST-sponsored Federal Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, and an Adjunct Associate Professor with the U of Texas LBJ School of Public. He is also a three-time member of Cyber and Cloud Computing commissions with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mr. Chenok also generally advises public sector leaders on a wide range of management issues.

Before joining IBM, Mr. Chenok was a Senior Vice President for Civilian Operations with Pragmatics, and prior to that was a Vice President for Business Solutions and Offerings with SRA International.

As a career Government executive, Mr. Chenok served as Branch Chief for Information Policy and Technology with the Office of Management and Budget, where he led a staff with oversight of federal information and IT policy, including electronic government, computer security, privacy and IT budgeting. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Branch Chief and Desk Officer for Education, Labor, HHS, and related agencies in OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Mr. Chenok began his government service as an analyst with the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and left government service at the end of 2003.

In 2008, Mr. Chenok served on President Barack Obama’s transition team as the Government lead for the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform group, and as a member of the OMB Agency Review Team.

Mr. Chenok has won numerous honors and awards, including a 2010 Federal 100 winner for his work on the presidential transition, the 2016 Eagle Award for Industry Executive of the Year, and the 2002 Federal CIO Council Azimuth Award for Government Executive of the Year.

Mr. Chenok earned a BA from Columbia University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.