By now, you’ve probably heard that Vivek Kundra has been appointed Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the White House. I don’t know Mr. Kundra, but I’ve seen nothing but positive reaction from those who do.
What I find interesting is the responsibility of enterprise architecture as described in the press release:
“The Federal Chief Information Officer directs the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending. The Federal CIO establishes and oversees enterprise architecture to ensure system interoperability and information sharing and ensure information security and privacy across the federal government. The CIO will also work closely with the Chief Technology Officer to advance the President’s technology agenda.”
The next paragraph continues with the CIO’s business mission:
“President Obama said, “Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering the cost of government operations to this position. I have directed him to work to ensure that we are using the spirit of American innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. As Chief Information Officer, he will play a key role in making sure our government is running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible.””
Now, my question is, doesn’t (shouldn’t) enterprise architecture also contribute to “American innovation” and using “the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations.”?
Is this delineation of enterprise architecture and chief technology office restricted to US government IT? Or, is it starting to crop up in corporate IT as well?
What do you think? Is this delineation a good thing? Or, do you find it troublesome?
