Information Week's top CIOs in government

InformationWeek has compiled a list of the top 50 CIOs in government, an impressive lineup that highlights the growth and importance of computer technology and its integral role in all the operations of government.

These influential executives include federal CIO Vivek Kundra, who points out that federal agencies spend a combined $76 billion annually, and manage more than 10,000 systems, in support of 1.9 million employees and 300 million "customers."

The challenges faced by the CIOs are numerous, and involve managing computer networks and systems more effectively, efficiently, and securely while simultaneously increasing government transparency. Kundra said he wants federal CIOs to concentrate less on infrastructure and more on fresh approaches, including cloud computing, social media, development competitions, and bite-size IT projects.

The CIOs have big and difficult jobs, and some are doing amazing work and handling very challenging projects.

The top 50 list also includes Lonny Anderson, the CTO and CIO of the National Security Agency who finds himself at the nexus for signals intelligence and digital espionage, and Social Security Administration CIO Franklin Baitman who manages a $1.3 billion IT budget and databases containing personal information on every citizen and most legal residents of the United States.

Others on the list are Department of Veterans Affairs CIO Roger Baker who is engaged in a massive overhaul of information technology projects, and David Blumenthal, a national coordinator for health IT at the Department of Health and Human Services who is leading the government's multi-billion dollar effort to use technology to modernize and streamline healthcare and to cut healthcare costs.

To read about other top CIOs:
- see this InformationWeek article

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