I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion focused on technology from the legislative perspective. Panelists included:
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State Representative Amos Amerson, Chairman, House Science and Technology Committee
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State Representative Barry Loudermilk
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Lewis A. Massey, partner, Massey & Bowers, LLC, and former Georgia Secretary of State
Panel members agreed on technology's ability to enable new and innovative services to constituents but cautioned that competition for funding for IT projects will become more intense because of declining revenues. It is imperative that we be able to clearly show legislators the value that a project will bring in terms of better service delivery to citizens and cost savings.
Legislators often see the benefit that technology can bring, but lack a clear understanding of the challenges and costs associated with implementation. As Rep. Loudermilk said, a wise investment in technology, while costly now, can mean savings in the future.
As technology advances, it becomes even more important to help legislators understand the underlying complexities and associated costs. An example is cloud computing, where data and applications no longer reside locally, and ensuring a secure computing environment becomes an even more critical issue.
At the same time, panel members cited citizens' concern about government's implementation of technology and our ability to protect their data and their privacy. If we ask citizens for personal information, they warned, we should only ask for what is absolutely necessary and demonstrate a clear benefit.
Lewis Massey complimented our IT transformation, which is providing the foundation for innovative service delivery, enhanced security, and greater operational and cost efficiencies. In addition, as Rep. Amerson noted, it enables us to facilitate more effective information sharing among agencies.
I enjoyed the opportunity to share ideas with many of you at the summit, and I appreciate your continuing support.
