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IT Reform at the Department of the Treasury
Posted by Robyn East
In the six months since the Obama Administration released its 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT Management in December 2010, the Treasury Department has been an early adopter of several initiatives that support the Plan’s goals of achieving operational efficiency and managing large-scale IT programs more effectively, while better serving the public and saving taxpayer money. Implementing these reforms in both our existing IT Infrastructure and our new projects will continue to inform our IT Strategy.
A major component of IT Reform is a shift toward cloud-based systems, and we’re proud to report that Treasury is leading the way in this area, as the first Cabinet-Level agency to host fully its website in a public cloud. We recently moved Treasury.gov, FinancialStability.gov,MakingHomeAffordable.gov, MyMoney.gov, TIGTA.gov, and irsoversightboard.treasury.gov to a cloud-based hosting system. We are truly thinking and executing “Cloud First” in standing up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where the use of the cloud is the preferred hosting approach for all CFPB IT infrastructure and application/data investments.
As we use the cloud to increase efficiency, our need for data centers decreases, which is another goal of the IT Reform Plan. As a result, we have recently closed one data center, with three more scheduled to be closed by the end of 2011. And going forward, we will continue to search for opportunities to consolidate redundant data centers.
In the last two months, we have held two productive TechStat sessions, where we review IT investments by the Department for new or upgraded technology. During the first, we identified several management issues with the implementation of a major new manufacturing support system for one of our bureaus and identified investment governance, project management, and change control processes as key areas to strengthen. By taking action in these areas, the project is well on its way to success. The second TechStat was productive in a different way. After analyzing a proposed FOIA system purchased for one of our bureaus, we determined that the best course of action was to terminate the project and integrate its functions into an existing investment. Going forward, we will continue to use the TechStat process to review and make improvements to our IT investments with the goal of improving the level of service to the American people while lowering cost.
IT at Treasury is dynamic, and I look forward to taking advantage of today’s changing conditions to push forward with reforms and improvements to better manage our IT. I especially look forward to working with my fellow CIOs and sharing best practices to streamline changes and find innovative new ways to create a more efficient IT Infrastructure across the government. As we take the next steps in the reform process, the collaborative spirit that has been fostered by the 25 Point Plan will serve as a platform for sharing the ideas that will shape the future of Federal IT.
Robyn East is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Systems and Chief Information Officer at the Department of the Treasury.
