What's going to happen in the government technology field in 2018? Techwire asked a cross-section of state, county and city CIOs and other procurement officials, and some from the private sector, to forecast what lies ahead. We'll be presenting these over the next few weeks, as responses come in.
Today's prognosticator is Russ Nichols, CIO of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:
"The coming year will see technology proactively disrupt 'business as usual' as state agencies implement new tools to fulfill their missions.
"Information security problems will get worse before they get better. As the amount of data continues to grow exponentially, unfortunately some companies and state agencies will see increased breaches. However, effective teams will use this time to learn moving forward, resulting in long-term security improvements.
"'Big data' will move from buzzword to practical application. Agencies that store vast amounts of information will be empowered to leverage its benefits, finding new opportunities for improved services, cost savings and better decision-making.
"The state will move toward leveraging technology across departments, sharing resources, experiences and best practices to embrace the 'doing it together' viewpoint."
