GovMission » Helping agencies go from “mission impossible” to “mission accomplished”

by Kal Gangavarapu

As Strategy Leader of Emerging Technologies at iGATE, I’m looking forward to speaking at FOSE 2013, to be held May 14-16 in Washington, D.C.

My session, ‘Mobile Acquisitions – Challenges and Opportunities,’ will be held on Thursday, May 16 from 10:30-11:30am. Part of the ‘Mobile Government’ track, this session will explore how to effectively contract for mobile technology while keeping up with the rapid pace of technology changes. Attendees will learn how to future-proof contracts, how to build in protections to changing cost structures, how to plan for rapid technical changes, and how to use Agile methods to enable rapid mobile procurement. Jon Johnson, Managed Mobility Program Manager at GSA, and Simon Szykman, CIO at Department of Commerce (invited) will … Read the Full Post

Tags: acquisitions, big data, D.C., FOSE, iGATE, mobile, technology, Washington

May 10

Ensuring Security in an Age of Mobile Technology

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by Tim Coffin

There are significant challenges that await enterprise organizations that are looking to implement mobile strategies and “bring your own devices” (BYOD) policies – the most daunting being security. In order to overcome various security challenges, these organizations must take several factors into consideration. The five tips found in this piece will outline crucial items for government and other enterprise organizations to consider when adopting mobile practices for their employees.

1. Place emphasis on controlling the information that can be accessed on the device, not controlling the device itself

With traditional desktop computing environments, the IT department can easily control the information that is being distributed. Even laptops are capable of being remotely locked or wiped should they fall into the … Read the Full Post

Tags: BYOD, enterprise, government, IT, mobile, mobile device, organizations, security

Apr 24

Turn Sequestration Uncertainty into Opportunity

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by Tim Coffin

Sequestration and the resulting budget cuts and constraints dominate many government CIOs’ priority lists this year. One of the hardest challenges of sequestration is the unknown and the uncertainty created. In this time of uncertainty, it’s a great opportunity to review your IT operations to optimize and position yourself for the future. Having less budget to work with is stressful, yes – and this is the time when true leaders find innovative ways to work through this challenge to make sure services are delivered and the mission is supported. The following four steps can help government IT operations reduce costs while ensuring the mission is supported and the organization is positioning itself for the future:

1. Examine your cloud initiatives … Read the Full Post

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Oct 21

Phaneesh Murthy CEO iGATE, Global Founding ICT Industry Top Executive

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This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Phaneesh Murthy.

Phaneesh Murthy, currently the CEO of iGATE, has over the last two decades created three large transformations in the Global IT industry. In recognition of his exemplary entrepreneurship, Phaneesh received the “Outstanding Entrepreneurship” Award for 2011, instituted by Enterprise Asia.

In the 1990s, Phaneesh Murthy was an integral part of the industry that created the huge IT Outsourcing market in India. As the Global Sales Head of Infosys, he has been widely credited as the one who was responsible for taking the organization from just $2 million in revenues to $700 million in under 10 years.

Over the last decade, Phaneesh has embarked upon his second large transformation. Eight … Read the Full Post

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Sep 17

OFPP lets DOD deal with pricing complexities first

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GovMission Policy

By Matthew Weigelt

The Defense Department has many roles in government, but it’s not often considered a guinea pig. But that is what’s happening as the Office of Federal Procurement Policy looks to DOD’s experience for guidance on the balance of price against value in contract awards.

“We’re talking with the Defense Procurement Acquisition Policy officials to figure out what they are seeing, how they’re going to do this, why, and all of that kind of stuff,” Joe Jordan, OFPP administrator, at a recent breakfast hosted by the Coalition for Government Procurement.

Policy officials are hard pressed to set policy beyond the case-by-case decision. Jordan’s recommendation during his speech: if it fits, use it. More broadly, agency officials have to … Read the Full Post

Tags: contracting, Defense Procurement Acquisition Policy, DOD, OFPP, procurements

Aug 24

Change of Command

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I recently attended the OPTEVFOR Change of Command ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia. My friend, Vice Admiral (sel) David A. “Decoy” Dunaway, was relieved by Rear Admiral Jeffrey R. “Zoil” Penfield. The 9 August ceremony was carried out in impeccable Navy style. I love changes of command, and this was one of the best I ever attended. Keynote speaker, Admiral John C. Harvey, Fleet Forces Command, was the guest of honor. His remarks struck the perfect balance of professionalism, courtesy, respect and humor. His were probably the best remarks at a change of command I have attended in 31 years. We wish him well as he begins his well-deserved Navy retirement beginning next month. (From one prep schooler to another.)

Best … Read the Full Post

Tags: Change of Command, Fleet Forces Command, NAVAIR, Navy, OPTEVFOR

Aug 15

Global Company iGate Leases Space in Sterling, Bringing 250 Jobs to Loudoun

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Loudoun County officials announce that the information technology firm iGate is locating its new East Coast facilities in Loudoun, leasing space at Center Oak Plaza in Sterling. The company’s $1 million investment is expected to bring an additional 250 jobs to Loudoun.

“Establishing this facility in Loudoun County, the home of the Washington Dulles International Airport, gives iGate access to 80 percent of the world’s economies – a key advantage to a global organization,” said Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott K. York. “In addition, with hundreds of federal government contractors located in Loudoun, and with almost 20 percent of the county’s workforce employed by the information and communications technology industry, doing business in Loudoun makes perfect sense for … Read the Full Post

Tags: Loudoun

Jul 03

Let’s get mobile: the impact of the digital government strategy on agencies

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by Kal Gangavarapu

At the end of last month, federal CIO, Steven VanRoekel, announced his comprehensive strategy for a digital government. This digital strategy is designed to set strategic IT goals and benchmarks for the federal government and its agencies and ultimately set the course for IT purchases and implementations in the government.

To the surprise of no one, the digital strategy had a significant mobile flavor to it.

Mr. VanRoekel and the Obama Administration perceive mobile adoption to be as revolutionary and game changing as the adoption of the Internet decades ago. They’re determined to bring government data, information and services to constituents via mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

However, the digital strategy’s ultimate goal of mobile adoption … Read the Full Post

Tags: bring your own device, BYOD, digital government strategy, federal CIO, information security, mobile device management, mobile devices, mobility, network security, Obama Administration, President Obama, smartphones, Steven VanRoekel, tablet computers, tablets

Jun 27

How Government Agencies are Effectively Doing More with Less While hanging by the thread of Efficiency promises

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by Bill DeMaso

It’s no secret that the challenging economic landscape will continue to place many agencies at the state and local level in financial jeopardy. Declining tax revenues and increasing demand for services have state and local governments scrambling to make ends meet while trying to do more with fewer resources.

This has resulted in state agencies, such as departments of motor vehicles and transportation, looking for ways that they can increase operational efficiency and cut expenses by streamlining current process with the addition of new technologies.

For example, the State of Texas found significant cost savings by improving how they managed the process for sending constituents their proof of insurance. By simply working with a third party vendor to outsource its … Read the Full Post

Tags: Case Management System, CMS, Commercial Off the Shelf Software, COTS, State Judiciaries, State of Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Texas DMV

Jun 21

Microsoft Case Study: Post Acquisition, iGATE Consolidates Multiple Portals to Improve Efficiency

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iGATE, a global IT services company with a talent pool of over 27,000 employees, is a dynamic and agile IT services giant. Post acquisition, the company had to manage change and instil synergy amongst diverse sets of people and policies. A common platform for communication and collaboration was important to successfully integrate people and organizational structures. iGATE chose Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to achieve this. Today SharePoint powers their intranet―iSpace, knowledge management portal―iKen, and the customer collaboration portal, VIVA. All these help employees bond, share ideas, and exchange best practices in real time. With consolidation, iGATE saves costs, reduces IT overheads, and increases its knowledge index by 10 per cent each quarter.

Situation

iGATE enters a new era by coming … Read the Full Post

Tags: Casper, communication, consolidation, iKen, intranet, iSpace, Microsoft, PeopleSoft, SharePoint, Siebel, VIVA