WashingtonExec 2013 Government Contracting Outlook Series:
The new year brings big changes for the Federal IT industry, and WashingtonExec is back with its Government Contracting Industry Outlook Series.
We are giving local executives the opportunity to share their thoughts on where they see our industry headed this year and beyond. Leaders were asked a series of questions focused on cloud computing, healthcare IT, defense, mobility, and more.
Bill Annibell is Director of Technology at Sapient Government Services, and spoke with us about this predictions for the new year. We also got a chance to interview him last year.
“At the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’ of Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies in 2013 is Big Data. The potential of big data is evident but realizing the promise has been slow to take hold.
In this day and age of shrinking budgets and sequestration, it has never been more important for government and industry collaboration to expose the most critical data and make it available in a consumable format at the fingertips of those supporting the mission. To make the right data actionable, it must be delivered in a secure format that can be leveraged by multiple platforms from mobile applications to web-based dashboards to analytic systems. However, this begins with understanding how personnel and operations staff go about their work in support of the mission. By taking a scientific approach leveraging methods such as ethnographic research, government and their industry partners can systematically understand the most critical data to the mission’s success and focus resources appropriately.
Given the many big data options the government has to choose from it will be imperative for the government and industry to collaborate on how best to expose the newly unleashed data in a predictable manner. In 2013 and beyond, a strong collaboration between government and industry is key to turning the potential of big data into reality.”
