Stateinformation technology departments remain cost aware” after declining tax revenues during the Great Recession cut into their budgets, according to a panel of state IT thought leaderson thefirst episode of StateScoop’s “Priorities podcast a monthly program that examines the leading strategies, technologies and challenges that state CIOs expect to facethisyear.
Indeed, in 2010, “budget and cost control” was votedNo. 1 on theNational Association of State Chief Information Officers annual survey of top priorities among state technology execs. Andit’s remained in the top 10 ever since, coming in at No. 7this year.
The budgets are maybe loosening up, Brenda Berlin, Colorado Governors Office of Information Technologys chief financial officer and deputy CIO, said on Priorities. Weve still had to be cost aware of the services and where were going with our strategic direction.
With that in mind,the panel said, there are strategies states can use to advance their IT while keeping an eye on the bottom line:Berlin and Delaware CIO James Collins recommended statestakeadvantage ofcloud computing, and focus on platform as a service and software as a service technologies, which can expand computingcapabilitieswhile saving the state money.
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