29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

Obama Administration Ready to Stimulate Technology Use, Awareness

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Obama campaign references to technology issues show that an early emphasis on computing to help solve problems is likely for his administration.

 

In just a few days, the United States will inaugurate the most technologically savvy president in its history, an event that should have a significant impact on the computer industry.

Not Your Father's President-Elect

Far from being a person who doesn't even know how to send an email message, as has been the case with most of his predecessors in office, Barack Obama's use of technology has been central to his successful campaign for the presidency. Computing tools such as email, Facebook, and Twitter helped the Obama campaign mobilize millions of people and dollars. His campaign has created an online political fan base of more than ten million people with whom he can stay in direct contact without help from mainstream media, a potential source of unprecedented clout that will have unforeseen consequences. In fact, Obama's devotion to his BlackBerry is causing security concerns about confidentiality once he takes office.

           

Beyond the politics, however, the Obama administration stands poised to make a larger governmental commitment to using computer technology to increase efficiency in several areas. Based on policy positions, speeches, and interview statements, Obama has articulated an ambitious agenda for emphasizing use of computers in such areas as healthcare, scientific innovation, and citizen empowerment. It's always hazardous to make too many plans based on a politician's promises, but the number of technology proposals made by Obama seem to insure that even if only a fraction of them are carried out, it might cause the proverbial tide that could float quite a few computer-industry boats. Although the Obama administration's early days will doubtless be taken up with handling the nation's economic crisis, that focus will change once a package dealing with this situation passes Congress. In the current situation, where a majority of the electorate is looking to government for answers, it seems likely that where the government directs its attention, markets will follow--at least for a while.

Medical Records: A New Priority

Healthcare is the most well-known of Obama's computerization interests. At least as far back as a campaign speech he gave at the University of Iowa in May 2007, Obama has been touting the idea of computerizing everyone's medical records to reduce medical and prescription drug errors via improved information sharing. His online position paper on healthcare cites a 2005 Rand Corporation study that predicts a savings of $77 billion as a result of reduced hospital stays, avoidance of unnecessary medical tests, better drug utilization, and other efficiencies.

 

Although some form of universal health insurance is controversial, computerizing health records seems to have more bipartisan support, so an early move in the records area while the insurance question is being wrangled over seems likely. A government initiative in health records will be a golden opportunity for companies that offer, for example, office-automation, database, and medical-related applications to step forward with solutions that can meet probable new demand. Other healthcare proposals Obama has made that will benefit from computer help include requiring providers to report preventable medical errors, establishing performance thresholds for measuring treatment outcomes, and simplifying paperwork for insurance providers.

           

Creating electronic medical records for so many people will require some bandwidth to better share this information. Improving U.S. Internet infrastructure is on Obama's radar. As part of the large public-works projects his administration is planning to assist national economic recovery, Obama referred in his December 6 radio address to including investments in computers and broadband connections, particularly for hospitals and schools. Pointing out in that speech that the U.S. currently ranks an "unacceptable" 15th in the world in broadband adoption, upgrading the country's ranking in that area will not only help doctors and hospitals more readily share medical records, but also give more students access to the Internet earlier in their school experience.

A New Emphasis on Computing and the Internet     

Upgrading the U.S. to lead the world in broadband penetration and Internet access is also a key building block in Obama administration plans to put an increased government emphasis on science and innovation. "Improving our infrastructure will foster competitive markets for Internet access and services that ride on that infrastructure," notes the Obama campaign's position paper on science and innovation. Among the proposals in this document is a plan to "restore the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in supporting...breakthrough research in areas such as microsystems, nanotechnology, information technology, synthetic biology, and advanced manufacturing." A second proposal acknowledges a need to protect the nation's cyber infrastructure from attacks that can impair "network operations and the integrity of information." Specifically, the paper calls for supporting "an initiative to develop next-generation secure computers and networking for government." Security software companies, take note.

 

A third point is a plan to place more emphasis on computer technology development in the executive branch itself. In his position paper on technology and innovation, Obama calls for appointing the nation's first CTO to make sure government agencies have "appropriate infrastructure, policies, and services." In addition, he proposes enhancing the status of the White House science advisor, downgraded in the Bush administration. A new Assistant to the President for Science and Technology will report directly to the president, serve as director of science and technology policy, and "participate in critical early decisions and to signal the importance of science, technology, and innovation" as administration policy goals. Additional points call for a review of government policy with regard to licensing of the wireless spectrum and rethinking the government definition of broadband, which currently includes communication methods as slow as 200 kbps.

A Commitment to Cyber-Openness

A final area of concern is citizen empowerment. The technology and innovation campaign position paper states that Obama is in favor of net neutrality "to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet" and avoid potential "two-tier" restrictions on citizen Internet access. This paper also emphasizes a plan to make government data available online in "universally accessible formats" to all citizens and makes a commitment to employ technologies "including blogs, wikis, and social networking tools to modernize internal, cross-agency, and public communication and information sharing." This commitment seems to be reflected not only in the Obama campaign's considerable efforts with its own Web site and its use to recruit support, but also in a current transition Web site it's offering that features a blog and suggestion form through which citizens can provide some direct input.

 

This much emphasis on technology issues during the campaign indicates that technology innovation is likely to arrive at the top of the Obama administration priority list sooner rather than later. If nothing else, the financial crisis will create new circumstances, according to former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. In a recent Washington Post interview, Gates opined that the current financial crisis is as big an opportunity for innovation as the economic slowdown in the '70s, which gave rise to the first information technology surge. "Difficult times can launch great ideas," Gates noted.

 

Technology companies that are ready to offer relevant solutions when the time comes should find themselves in a favorable position.

John Ghrist

John Ghrist has been a journalist, programmer, and systems manager in the computer industry since 1982. He has covered the market for IBM i servers and their predecessor platforms for more than a quarter century and has attended more than 25 COMMON conferences. A former editor-in-chief with Defense Computing and a senior editor with SystemiNEWS, John has written and edited hundreds of articles and blogs for more than a dozen print and electronic publications. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: