Jane Edwards
A survey of federal chief information officers and information technology leaders conducted by the Professional Services Council and Maximus has found that many agencies intend to shift from manual operations to business processes driven by automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The 2021 Federal CIO Survey report showed that agency officials highlighted the need for IT modernization efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the need for resilience, people, technologies and processes to address evolving IT challenges, PSC said Tuesday.
“Information technology and professional services contractors helped their federal customers pivot quickly and repeatedly, as the government’s technology needs evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our report reflects this shared experience and explores the major factors that impact federal IT modernization,” said Stephanie Kostro, an executive vice president at PSC.
According to the survey, federal IT leaders are implementing stricter reporting requirements for contractors to ensure that they can quickly get notifications on identified threats or vulnerabilities.
The report also noted recruitment and retention challenges facing federal agencies in the field of IT amid budget constraints.
“The workforce considerations – recruiting, training, and retaining people with the right skills – drive how IT is implemented and deployed in support of mission and business services. It’s imperative of the industry to keep pace with the evolving and shifting needs of the total workforce,” said Simon Szykman, senior VP for client growth at Maximus’ federal services segment and the report’s lead author.
