Vivek Kundra, Chief Information Officer of the United States, is responsible for streamlining government operations via a sound Information Technology system. Previously named Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers, he believes in the ideal of open government and the prudent use of technology in government. Vivek Kundra was part of President Obama’s transition team and he worked on technology policy for the Presidential team.
In his role as CTO in the District of Columbia Vivek Kundra sought out ways to use technology to make systems and services run more effective. He initiated numerous tax-saving technology efforts. One specific project resulted in more than 4.5 million digitized employee files for that particular school system. He also updated the software that government used for spreadsheets and e-mails to the Google version. He even began a developer contest to choose the best technology applications for the Washington D.C. web site. As well, he led efforts to increase the accessibility of government data to the public while decreasing the price of offering this information.
This was a sizable move because instead of spending millions of taxpayer dollars for file servers and monthly fees for document software, cloud computing gave the District of Columbia the ability to create documents free by utilizing Google. In addition, he acquired extra security and new labels on the program. This only cost the District of Columbia $50-an-employee per year, a better cost-benefit and efficient use of taxpayers’ dollars. Vivek Kundra said Federal authorities should adopt off-the-shelf technologies and formats that are average in the private sector. While the CTO for D.C., his office founded the D.C. Digital Public Square. This site is a center for government information. It also provides applications for users so they can integrate that information on maps, timelines, and in other ways.
Vivek Kundra continues to work to ensure the government’s IT efforts deliver superb information to American citizens. His dedication is to the wise use of taxpayer dollars. He anticipates a technology culture that systematically embraces new platforms that make government accessible to all. He is continually looking for new ways to help government agencies adapt excellent private sector technologies that help them save money.