The New Year is here and all the lists are coming out for what to expect in 2012. Will zombies still be the top monster or are we done? Will Google’s new tablet really be the “Ipad Killer” it has been touted as? But, really, back to reality, 2012 is looking to be a major year for IT innovations. Through interviews conducted at various levels within the federal government and analysis of industry trends, GovernmentCIO has identified five IT innovations for 2012 that will have a significant impact on the federal government.

1. Taking it to the Cloud

During the closing months of 2010. the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) asked federal agencies to identify three systems that will be moved to the cloud within an 18-month period.  With only a few months left for that to occur, the federal government will begin a number of cloud implementations. With General Services Administration’s (GSA) release of FedRAMP, implementations of cloud solutions will become more prevalent within the federal government.  Businesses will have the opportunity to become Third Party Assessment Organizations (3PAO) that will provide the IV&V of Cloud Service Providers.  Expect to see a rush of companies to become 3PAO and launch a niche industry of cloud-specific IV&V companies that will play a critical role in successful cloud implementations.

2. Social Media Innovation

Social media will continue to grow throughout the federal government. Agencies already have begun to use social media as a method to export information to the public.  This trend will continue in 2012.  In addition to using social media as a method to export information, agencies will begin to use social media as a way to gather information from the public and as a means for customer relationship management. Be ready to see more innovative uses of social media similar to the Department of Labor’s use of crowd sourcing for their Data Enforcement System.  In 2011 the Department of Labor held its Mashup Competition. This innovative use of crowd sourcing asked the public to identify unique ways in which the Department of Labor might use the data to protect workers’ rights and promote safety in the workforce.  Look to see more of this use of crowd sourcing and social media in 2012.

3. Innovations in Cyber Security

Symantec released a report in April of 2011 cataloguing the number of new cyber threats that were identified in 2010 at 286 million. This number is only expected to grow for 2011 and 2012.  Innovative strategies and new technologies will need to be developed combat new cyber threats.  Equally important and often overlooked though is the need to train the federal workforce on these new threats. Innovative strategies and methods to train the federal workforce will need to be developed. Agencies will need to provide innovative instructional design of training courses.  User design of training platforms will be critical to ensure mass acceptance of the training. Finally meaningful training scenarios will need to be brought to the non-IT federal worker who does not assess security threats on a daily basis and wouldn’t otherwise understand the real threats out there.  

4. Mobilizing with Apps

Ipad, HTC Flyer, Motorola Xoom, or the Blackberry Playbook all are devices the federal workforce is probably using … at home.  Over the past year these devices have been making their way into the federal workspace.  In October the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) for National Mobile Device Solution. As part of the RFI, VA is looking to procure 10,000-100,000 mobile devices. Part of the success of mobile devices and tablets in the consumer market has been a result of the apps that are available; apps that provide information, entertainment, and education. Or all three. For mobile devices and tablets to be successful in the federal government apps will need to be developed that enable the federal workforce to become more effective and efficient. There also will need to be a wide selection of apps available. In 2012 look for federal government apps that meet federal security standards to take center stage and the further development of Agency Specific Apps Stores.  

 5. Innovations in Acquisition Management

With tighter and tighter budgets federal agencies are being asked to do more with less. Expect to see greater innovation in knowledge and information sharing across the federal government.  Agencies will need to share more market research to find solutions that have proven to be effective at other agencies providing similar work.  Expect to see more open source solutions that are easily scalable and technologies that are easily customizable to service a number of potential customers.  Agencies will need to look at bundling services across organizations within their agencies and across the federal government.  This will allow them to pool resources and maximize their purchasing power.  This will require new acquisition management strategies.  In December of 2011 the administration released its draft “Federal Information Technology Shared Services Strategy,” which is the first step toward formalizing this new approach. Get ready for it.

2012 is looking to be an exciting year across the federal government, but the landscape is continuously changing and surprises can always come up. We’ll keep our eyes on the horizon, but please let us know of any innovations or ideas that you would like us to cover in the coming year.