The Department of the Interior released a strategic plan to use advances in technology to improve services and create more efficiencies to save the agency up to $500 million by 2020.
The plan identifies a set of high priority information technology services to lead the transformation process, including moving to a single email system for the department, telecommunications, account management, hosting services, workplace computing services, risk management and a help desk.
“This plan represents good government, plain and simple,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. “By identifying and implementing efficiencies in the way we conduct our business, we’ll save time and taxpayer dollars.”
The announcement builds on President Obama’s executive order to streamline service as well as the administration’s recent campaign to cut waste throughout the government.
Major cost savings are expected to come through a 45 percent reduction in the number of data centers, a single email system (which is expected to cut email costs in half), a cloud-based system for electronic forms, records, documents and content management solutions.
“This plan truly delivers on the President’s charge to do more with less and should serve as a model for other agencies,” said Federal CIO Vivek Kundra.
The plan came following meetings held at 70 DOI sites in 35 cities in 18 states with more than 1,500 employees soliciting opinions.
Interior’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology, Information and Business Services, Andrew Jackson, emphasized that “throughout the IT Transformation, the Department will leverage our most important IT assets – our employees. Our goal is to minimize adverse impacts and maximize career building opportunities. Employees who are interested in assisting with the transformation efforts can get involved in designing our future.”
