Emerging technologies and management strategies will take root in the federal government in 2011--whether through mandate or policy change, or as a reaction to budget constraints--according to a panel of analysts participating in a Jan. 12 web conference hosted by IDC Government.

Some of IDC's predictions for 2011 were obvious; for example, the IDC panel's prediction that cloud computing will reach critical mass within government corresponds to the Office of Management and Budget mandate that every agency have one cloud solution in place within 12 months and up to three cloud-based programs within 18 months.

However, IDC analysts' predictions on new technology were more surprising. Government programs and infrastructure based on "smart" technologies will emerge, said Thom Rubel, vice president of research. As a result, "smart governments" will evolve by integrating available "smart" technologies across priority government services, he said.

What's more, Shawn McCarthy, an IDC specialist in infrastructure strategies, said there "will be a tipping point of sorts for mobile devices and other mobile technologies, in both the way government employees work and the way citizens interact with government." McCarthy hinted at an increased tolerance on the part of agency management for workers using their personal, consumer devices for work. 

There was plenty of buzz around government 2.0 and open government in 2010, but in 2011 IDC predicts these trends will start making a measurable impact. IDC's Adelaide O'Brien said open government initiatives will begin to visibly impact collaboration among agencies, programs and processes, because, previously, many agencies were not measuring and collecting data enough on these citizen services.

"Government today is really being asked to raise the bar in many, many areas," said O'Brien. And as citizens demand that government look and feel more like commercial services and technologies, it's also being asked to do more with less, she said. As a result, citizens will begin to design, build and deploy their own desired government services based on the availability of open government information.

These Gov 2.0 advances could lead to challenges in IT and records management in 2011. Not only will agencies continue to face increased volume of content, they will face a diversity of formats, predicted O'Brien. This will lead to inefficiencies and expose agencies to legal liabilities, she added.

For more:
- view an archive of the presentation (reg. req.)

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