Government at the Brink, by Fred Thompson: on Technology

Government unable to protect its computer data from attack

Part of the mismanagement of agency information technology systems results from the government’s inability to protect its systems and data from internal or external attack. Disruptions could be caused by sabotage, natural disasters, or widespread system faults. Executive agencies and departments should:

Emphasize early oversight and planning
Avoid reinventing existing technology
Size projects to manageable levels
Encourage innovation
Create incentives for contractors to perform better
Communicate lessons learned
Review existing large computer systems acquisitions

With regard to security issues, executive agencies and departments should:

Examine the security risks
Implement risk reduction approaches
Educate users on reducing security risks
Monitor the effectiveness of the risk reduction approaches

Source: Government at the Brink, by Fred Thompson, Vol.1, p. 45-50 Jun 3, 2001

The above quotations are from Government at the Brink: The Root Causes of Government Waste and Mismanagement, by Fred Thompson. Click here for definitions & background information on Technology. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Fred Thompson on Technology.
*Candidates and political leaders on Technology:*
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