PortfolioStat

• Rep. Issa heading down familiar path for IT reform; Senate still in discovery mode

  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) plans to offer the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) as an amendment later this week to the 2013 Defense Authorization bill. The Senate held a hearing looking at the best approach to empower federal CIOs. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee heard that transparency, visibility and senior leadership are common traits among successful CIOs.

  Congress

  June 12, 2013
• GAO, OMB spar over whether to measure data center cost savings

  Government auditors told House Oversight and Government Affairs members that saving money from closing more than 1,000 data centers needs to be metric. OMB said optimization of core data centers is a more important measure than straight cost savings.

  Congress

  May 15, 2013
• OMB’s revised PortfolioStat process simplifies IT reporting requirements

  Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel said the new process is centered around three concepts: the why, the what and the results. The White House also is consolidating 30 reporting requirements into three that will help agencies determine answers to the three questions. OMB also updated the goals under the data center consolidation initiative.

  Technology

  April 02, 2013
• Sequestration gives federal IT a crisis of confidence

  Steven VanRoekel, the federal CIO, said the PortfolioStat approach will help agencies manage through these tough budget times. He said agency technology investments could take a hit as the automatic spending cuts become real.

  Federal Drive

  March 01, 2013
• Baitman starts HHS commodity consolidation effort with HR systems

  Frank Baitman, the HHS chief information officer, said the agency will move its HR systems to a shared services provider in the coming year. He said HHS also will issue a solicitation for cloud services in 2013. November 15, 2012

  Ask the CIO

  November 15, 2012
• Agencies initiate IT cut-and-invest strategy

  Agencies have identified 98 opportunities where they can save real money by consolidating IT systems or by implementing better buying processes. In an exclusive interview, federal CIO Steven VanRoekel said most fall in the commodity IT areas of email, servers and other areas where agencies tend to spend a lot of money for IT.

  Budget

  October 29, 2012
• OMB to give CIOs IT hunting license through broadening of authorities

  The administration wants chief information officers to take more control over spending on technology, especially in those areas in the "shadows." OMB acting Director Jeff Zients said the Interior Department's approach to giving its CIO control over almost all spending is a model for the rest of the government. Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel to release a report on expected savings from PortfolioStat in the coming months.

  Federal Drive

  October 19, 2012
• Agencies finally figuring out how HSPD-12 cards can improve security

  More than eight years after the White House issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 requiring the issuance of secure identity cards, governmentwide and agency-specific initiatives provide hope the smart cards can be more than "glorified ID cards." NIST and GSA are developing an identity exchange in the cloud. DHS and IRS are putting their cards to use at a local level for both building and computer access.

  Federal Drive

  October 11, 2012
• OMB to expand vendor offices after initial successful tests

  The Veterans Affairs Department said it saved $40 million by using this centralized approach to managing contractors. vendor management organizations also help agencies buy more strategically. OFPP plans to expand strategic sourcing and sets a $2 billion savings goal by 2015.

  Federal Drive

  July 12, 2012
• VanRoekel says IT reform plan ‘shocked’ system into change

  OMB highlights successes of 25-point strategy on its 18-month anniversary. Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel said agencies saved $100 million from moving email to the cloud. There now are more than 1,000 qualified program managers in the new job series. The IT reform plan helps institute culture change from CIOs on down. June 7, 2012(Encore presentation July 5, 2012)

  Ask the CIO

  June 08, 2012
• Agencies getting tools to ‘innovate with less’

  The Shared Services Strategy is the latest way agencies can reduce spending on infrastructure technology and spend more on mission-critical IT. Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel said PortfolioStat is the lynchpin to the entire process for agencies. He held the first meeting with agencies leaders to discuss expectations.

  Federal Drive

  May 04, 2012
• Cutting, investing aren’t mutually exclusive, federal CIO says

  Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel wants agencies to cut spending and invest in new capabilities at the same time. Savings from outdated or inefficient IT projects can be plowed into new innovations, he said.

  Federal Drive

  April 04, 2012