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IT Reform at the National Science Foundation
Posted By Andrea T. Norris
Over the past six months, we have been diligently working to support and execute the 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT Management. Although the National Science Foundation has its own unique issues and needs regarding information technology, the IT Reform Plan has helped to create a more efficient, effective, and transparent IT portfolio at NSF.
Cloud computing is an integral component of the 25 Point Plan. As a smaller agency, we have been looking for opportunities to implement cloud solutions wherever possible. Our email backup system is now running on the cloud, and more NSF IT operations will follow. Within the next year, our records management system and key collaboration services will both migrate to cloud-based solutions. This will allow for enhanced access to information resources by our staff and the public, in addition to improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
On March 29th, we conducted our first TechStat meeting to review the performance of FastLane, a web-based, citizen-facing portal that is part of our mission-critical legacy grants management system. The main outcome of this process was improved governance of the investment, resulting from better prioritization of change requests. This action will ensure that scarce resources are being deployed in ways that best support NSF’s mission.
NSF continues to adopt the principles highlighted in the 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT Management. The work we have done thus far has laid the groundwork for additional progress in the coming year.
Andrea T. Norris is the acting Chief Information Officer at the National Science Foundation.
