CTO in the Limelight
One of the more interesting developments mixing technology and politics has been the intent of the US President Elect Obama to create a CTO cabinet position for his White House team. Currently, there is not a single position in the Cabinet that drives technology strategy for the White House and this only seems like a logical position to create. My question would be “why did this take so long”? No major company operates without the use of technology to help run their business. Furthermore, leading companies use technology to create competitive advantage against their rivals through an optimized supply chain, business intelligence capability, sales force tools or a number of other uses. The same should hold true for the US government which is a massive entity in its own right.
There has to be significant opportunities to create shared service approaches for all the different e-government initiatives in addition to reducing dependence on paper based filings. This would create transparency and ease of use for the constituents. Also, a CTO position can drive initiatives to help US competitiveness by advocating for technology infrastructure improvements or programs to create skill sets needed for the future of business. I feel it is a terrific first step for a position that I hope continues to evolve and grow since it should be beneficial for all companies services the technology sector. What are your thoughts? Are there any other similar examples you have?
