March 2004: From the Editor
Across the entire federal enterprise, focus, benchmarks for success
and agency goals have dramatically changed. Ironically, although
federal workers are motivated to revamp the way they do
business, it's still going to take time to align these necessary, but
new priorities with the opportunity to transform them into reality.
The pace of change in government, business, politics and technology
in the world at large has been breathtaking, and it will only accelerate in
this new century. While the need for speed underpins almost every task
undertaken by the federal government, simply getting things done quickly
isn't the point. As the articles that fill this magazine illustrate, it's about
infusing the tactics with insight, lessons learned and best practices, so
that the federal IT pro can succeed in realizing the boldest and most
ambitious goals this country has undertaken in recent history.
What you will find in the pages of CDWÂG's Fed Tech magazine is
insight from inside and outside the federal sector on tackling the
challenges of a government in the midst of remarkable change and the
pursuit of excellenceÂall involving technology.
In our premiere issue, we start at the extreme edge of federal IT,
looking at how public servants in the trenches use technology at home and
abroad. We also look at feds practicing extreme IT in the marble halls of
Congress, in the office cubicles of the capital and in the field, making IT work
in a radical range of challenging environments. An Air Force firefighter puts
innovation and technology to work to access critical information on the fly on
page 16; the Centers for Disease Control deploys IT in the field to identify
outbreaks of potentially devastating diseases on page 36; and three agencies
use IT to help earn top ratings carrying out the President's Management
Agenda on page 43.
For some of the best perspectives on achieving excellence, you'll find
commentary from Kim Nelson, Jim Shanks and Paul WohllebenÂone
current and two former CIOsÂon the business of IT, management and
governance on pages 10 Â 15.
We'll profile the ever-proliferating and thorny challenges facing federal
IT professionals, with a focus on solutions. We ask that you share critical
insights, suggestions and feedback along the way, so that we may fully
realize this mission.
Lee Copeland
Editor in Chief
leecop@cdw.com
