Dan Chenok

Guest Blogger:  Chris Yates, Senior Solutions Architect, Red Hat

Eli Whitney, famed inventor of the cotton gin, demonstrated the value of Interchangeable parts in the United States in 1801 to the US Congress, President John Adams, and President Elect Thomas Jefferson. This was a critical demonstration of the impact and value such a feature could bring to the military. Whitney demonstrated the viability and value of interchangeable parts by stripping down several muskets, and then reassembling a functional musket from random parts from the disassembled muskets.

This blog was written by Mark Fisk, Partner – Blockchain Government Lead and COVID-19 Supply Chain Response Lead, IBM

The impact to supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery remains a significant concern for both industry and government. Over the past several months, Federal agency leaders have discussed difficulties as they address multiple impacts:

The IBM Center for The Business of Government is pleased to announce a Challenge Grant competition to solicit essays describing how existing and emerging technologies will transform how government works and delivers services to the public in light of the impact of COVID-19. Topics to explore include:

Blog Co-Authors: Steve Redburn, Professorial Lecturer, The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington University and Barry Clendenin, Adjunct Faculty, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University

The proliferation in the use of technologies such as social media, the Internet of Things, mobility, and cloud computing by government agencies has increased the potential cyber risks facing those agencies.  Diverse agency data stores extend the source of risk throughout government organizations, bringing the need for new approaches that move beyond traditional security precautions.

The obstacles to implementing technological innovation in government often have less to do with hardware and software than people and processes. How can leaders recognize the need for new technology? How can innovators find funding and put the pieces in place to test a new idea? How does an agency define and measure success?

We are pleased to announce our latest round of stipends for new reports on key public sector challenges, which respond to the priorities identified in the Center's research agenda. Our content is intended to stimulate and accelerate the production of practical research that benefits public sector leaders and managers. We expect the following reports to be published in early 2021.

Creating Public Value with the Internet of Intelligent Things by Gwanhoo Lee, American University

Given the ever-increasing demand for health care services and health technology innovations that have only gained in import in addressing COVID-19, government plays a critical role in delivering services to a diverse population through a wide range of health-related programs.

As economies and societies transform in response to COVID-19 and its aftermath, governments in the US and around the world seek innovations that enable them to interact with the public, industry, and each other -- addressing both immediate social and economic needs for services and longer-term imperatives for operational effectiveness.

Guest Blogger, Adam Houck, IBM Global Postal Practice Leader, Academy of Technology Leadership Team

COVID-19 has and will continue to have a devastating financial effect on the world’s postal services. At the same time, postal services have significant roles to play in the response and recovery effort. However, these efforts will not be enough to offset the financial impacts of COVID-19.

To respond to this global crisis, postal services must do three things: