I am humbled and more than pleased to serve as the Technical Chair of SYS-CON's 1st Annual Government IT Conference & Expo.

To highlight the importance of this conference, I only need to repeat the guiding principles driving President Obama's technology agenda:

• I Innovation in the Economy: Drive Economic Growth and Solve National Problems By Deploying a 21st Century Information Infrastructure
  • The President believes that modernized infrastructure is a necessary part of the foundation for long term economic stability and prosperity. That includes everything from a comprehensive national broadband plan, to new health care information technology, to a modernized electrical grid.
• Innovation in Science: Invest in Science and Science Education
  • The President has named Dr. John Holdren, a nationally recognized expert on climate change and nuclear disarmament, as an Assistant to the President and the nation's Science Advisor, and Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel-prize winner as the Secretary of Energy. These are just two of the many leading science experts who are serving in an Administration committed to science.
• Innovation in Public Administration: Creating an Open and Secure Government
  • Strategic federal IT investments will make Government more transparent and accountable. At the same time, Americans will know that these investments by their Government are being leveraged to produce maximum value, and that the security of information systems nationally, and the privacy of Americans, are being protected. Strategic investments in IT are at the heart of the efforts to make Government services more effective, accessible, and transparent.
• Restoring a Culture of Accountability through Openness and Transparency of Government Operations and Information
  • Moving Toward Unprecedented Openness: Change the presumption under the Freedom of Information Act to favor voluntary disclosure of government information to the public.
  • Making Critical Government Information Available: Working to provide public access to information of public import and concern, such as the Department of Justice "torture" memos, the President's and Vice-President's tax returns, the public financial disclosure reports for White House personnel, and presidential records.

Information technology is central to the attainment of each and every one of these goals!
Within a few short months, we have seen a whirlwind of change across the government IT industry landscape. The appropriation of $7.2B for broadband internet access nationwide, the launching of USASpending.gov, the appointment of Mr. Vivek Kundra as the nation's first ever Federal Chief Information Officer and the rapid adoption of cloud computing are only a few examples of this historic change. As government IT professionals, we all share in the duty and responsibility of making this change work. This means balancing implementation speed with the need for ironclad security. It means fighting for that additional budget item in a time of economic collapse and fiscal crisis. It means dealing with sometimes archaic procurement regulations while simultaneously struggling to meet even more stringent IT governance deadlines.

To assist you in this challenge, the 2009 Government IT Conference & Expo is specifically designed to address many unique aspects of government information technology. Specialized tracks will cover cloud computing, virtualization, service oriented architecture (SOA), security and compliance. There will also be breakout sessions on the unique issues surrounding cloud security, including the important distinctions between private and public clouds. Join us in an informative and collaborative environment where expert speakers from government and the software industry alike will look at the unique issues involved with handling and sharing government information.

I look forward to meeting you at this important event, October 6, 2009 in Washington, DC. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any service.

"To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative."

-President Obama, April 25, 2009

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