Vivek Kundra Adapting of Cloud Computing Can Possibly Expand Data Sharing among Different Governing Levels
Saturday, January 30th, 2010Nominated by President Obama himself as the first Federal Chief Information Officer in the country, Vivek Kundra is reaching to refresh IT in the public sector. His previous efforts in Information Technology netted him acknowledgment from InfoWorld as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year and he was recently named Chief of the Year by Information Week. With past know how as Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia, Vivek Kundra has the know how to cope with the IT challenges that are put before him.
In his role as Chief Technology Officer in Washington D.C. Vivek Kundra sought out ways to use technology to make systems and services run better. He inducted numerous tax-saving technology campaigns. One rare project resulted in more than 4.5 million digitized employee files for that school system. He also transformed the software that government used for spreadsheets and e-mails to the Google version. He even started 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 information to the public while decreasing the cost of offering this information.
Born in Delhi, India, Vivek Kundra came to Gaithersburg, Maryland when he was eleven years of age. His college years saw him attending the University of Maryland. Upon majoring in Psychology and earning his Masters from Maryland in Information Technology, he proceeded to hold various positions. He held many leadership positions in the private sector and executed consulting work with SAIC. He also functioned as IT Director for Arlington County, Virginia and Assistant Secretary of Trade and Commerce in Governor Tim Kaine’s cabinet.
From cloud computing initiatives to holding government contractors responsible for the services they provide, Vivek Kundra works to make informed use of the IT budget he controls. He knows that making the correctly Information Technology choices that embrace new mediums and technological advances contribute to efficient operations in government agencies. His goal is an IT infrastructure that operates within budget parameters, while delivering tremendous value to U. S. citizens.