GRP and GovTech news from last week compiled by the FreeBalance Strategy and Innovation Group.
SCOPE OF ERP PROBLEMS IN GOVERNMENT OF CANADA REVEALED: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation used an access to information request to discover that the problems encountered with the PeopleSoft payroll implementation are deeper than presented by government spokespeople. According to the CBC: “As of Aug. 8, there were 156,035 employees who had been waiting at least 30 days to have their pay complaint dealt with, according to data released to Radio-Canada by a government source. That number represents nearly one-half of the 313,734 public servants paid through Phoenix. It’s also the first instance in which the scope of the Phoenix payroll issues has been laid clear in terms of people affected, rather than in terms of “transactions” or “cases.” Current estimated costs for overcoming payroll problems is C$142M.” Meanwhile, the Canadian Press describes the hot potato of laying blame on the previous government.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP? Contrasting evidence on the state of government cybersecurity in the United States. Joseph Marks, in NextGov, finds evidence that Washington is ahead of Silicon Valley in cybersecurity capabilities. Marks also reports on a study by The President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council that suggests that the United States is vulnerable to a massive infrastructure cyberattack. And, Madison Moore in SDTimes describes a report from SecurityScorecard that finds that government ranks 16 out of 18 industries in cybersecurity.
BLOCKCHAIN AGAIN IN GOVTECH NEWS: The United States Government Accountability Office will host a blockchain planning workshop in September. Mohana Ravindranath from NextGov reports that “participants including business executives and federal managers will be asked to propose ways the public sector could use blockchain, artificial intelligence, open data and other emerging technologies.”
LARGE IT VENDOR CARTELS NOT A GOOD IDEA IN GOVERNMENT? That’s the new policy of the Government of Australia. Ben Willis describes how “new government IT contracts will be capped at a maximum value of AU$100 million,” in Global Government Forum. It’s no wonder that there is rising concern about activities by major IT vendors. For example, Rebecca Hill, in The Register, reports on customer reluctance to open up conversations with SAP about so-called “indirect licensing”.
*+ Making Government’s Massive Programs Work/ Now It’s the Law
http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2017/08/making-governments-massive-programs-work-now-its-law/140435/
Report: http://napawash.org/2017/2005-pmiaa-white-paper.html
