Web 20 And Cloud Technologies For Implementing Connected Government

The emergence of cloud computing, internet of things, mobile technologies, and social networking have created better-connected members of the public who are digitally linked with each other in real time. Establishing this two-way interaction between citizens and governments has thus become attractive and an expected feature of governments worldwide. Previously, federal and local governments relied on first-generation technologies to provide basic levels of automation and digitization. Now, because of their desire to become more open, transparent, accountable, and connected, newer technologies including cloud computing, mobile networking, big data analytics, Web 2.0, and social media must be developed and utilized. Web 2.0 and Cloud Technologies for Implementing Connected Government is an essential reference source that presents various dimensions of connected government and connected e-governance visions as well as the latest emerging technologies. Offering development methodologies, practical examples, best practices, case studies, and the latest research, this book covers new strategies for implementing better-connected government models and the technologies that serve to establish these frameworks, including in-depth examinations of mobile technologies, automation, business intelligence, etc. as well as the various ethical and security issues surrounding the use and protection of data. This book is essential for federal, state, and local government officials; policymakers; civil servants; IT specialists; security analysts; academicians; researchers; and students.

E-Government describes the utilization of technologies to improve the lives of citizens and business organizations while facilitating the operation of the government. With the rise of new technologies, governments need to consider implementing Web 2.0 and mobile technologies as a way to offer relevant e-services to citizens so that they may fully participate in governmental affairs. Emerging Mobile and Web 2.0 Technologies for Connected E-Government highlights the latest technologies and how they can be implemented by the government and effectively used by citizens. This book aims to be an inclusive reference source for researchers, practitioners, students, and managers interested in the application of recent technological innovations to develop a more effective e-government system.

"This book explores the latest research on the use of e-government for enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of public institutions by featuring coverage on cloud-related frameworks and strategies, barriers to e-government development and practice, and case studies revealing the best guidelines for efficient technology use"--

The application of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) to reform governmental structures and public service is widely and perhaps naively viewed as the 21st century "savior", the enlightened way to reinvigorate democracy, reduce costs, and improve the quality of public services. This book examines the transition from e-government to digital governance in light of the financial exigencies and political controversies facing many governments. The chapters concentrate on strategies for public sector organizational transformation and policies for improved and measurable government performance in the current contentious political environment. This fully updated second edition of Digital Governance provides strategies for public officials to apply advanced technologies, manage remote workforces, measure performance, and improve service delivery in current crisis-driven administrative and political environments. The full implementation of advanced digital governance requires fundamental changes in the relationship between citizens and their governments, using ICTs as catalysts for political as well as administrative communication. This entails attitudinal and behavioral changes, secure networks, and less dependence on formal bureaucratic structures (covered in Part I of this book); transformation of administrative, educational, and security systems to manage public services in a more citizen-centric way (covered in Part II); the integration of advanced digital technologies with remote broadband wireless internet services (Part III); and the creation of new forms of global interactive citizenship and self-governance (covered in Part IV). Author Michael E. Milakovich offers recommendations for further improvement and civic actions to stimulate important instruments of governance and public administration. This book is required reading for political science, public administration, and public policy courses, as well as federal, state, and local government officials.

Web 2.0 technologies are now being deployed in government settings. For example, public agencies have used blogs to communicate information on public hearings, wikis and RSS feeds to coordinate work, and wikis to internally share expertise, and intelligence information. The potential for Web 2.0 tools create a public sector paradox. On the one hand, they have the potential to create real transformative opportunities related to key public sector issues of transparency, accountability, communication and collaboration, and to promote deeper levels of civic engagement. On the other hand, information flow within government, across government agencies and between government and the public is often highly restricted through regulations, specific reporting structures and therefore usually delayed through the filter of the bureaucratic constraints. What the emergent application and popularity of Web 2.0 tools show is that there is an apparent need within government to create, distribute and collect information outside the given hierarchical information flow. Clearly, these most recent Internet technologies are creating dramatic changes in the way people at a peer-to-peer production level communicate and collaborate over the Internet. And these have potentially transformative implications for the way public sector organizations do work and communicate with each other and with citizens. But they also create potential difficulties and challenges that have their roots in the institutional contexts these technologies are or will be deployed within. In other words, it is not the technology that hinders us from transformation and innovation - it is the organizational and institutional hurdles that need to be overcome. This paper provides an overview of the transformative organizational, technological and informational challenges ahead.

Cloud computing is a new name for an old concept: the delivery of computing services from a remote location, analogous to the way electricity, water, and other utilities are provided to most customers. Cloud computing services are delivered through a network, usually the Internet. Some cloud services are adaptations of familiar applications, such as email and word processing. Others are new applications that never existed as a local application, such as online maps and social networks. Since 2009, the federal government has been shifting its data storage needs to cloud-based services and away from agency-owned data centers. This shift is intended to reduce the total investment by the federal government in information technology (IT) (data centers), as well as realize other stated advantages of cloud adoption: efficiency, accessibility, collaboration, rapidity of innovation, reliability, and security. In December 2010, the U.S. Chief Information Officer (CIO) released “A 25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT Management” as part of a comprehensive effort to increase the operational efficiency of federal technology assets. One element of the 25-Point Plan is for agencies to shift to a “Cloud First” policy, which is being implemented through the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy. The Cloud First policy means that federal agencies must (1) implement cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, and cost-effective cloud option exists; and (2) begin reevaluating and modifying their individual IT budget strategies to include cloud computing. However, there are challenges facing agencies as they make this shift. For example, some agency CIOs have stated that in spite of the stated security advantages of cloud computing, they are, in fact, concerned about moving their data from their data centers, which they manage and control, to outsourced cloud services. This and other concerns must be addressed to build an agency culture that trusts the cloud. Congress has a number of means to monitor the status of the Federal Cloud Computing Initiative (FCCI). Individual committees may wish to monitor agencies under their jurisdiction by holding hearings; requesting review of an agency's status through the agency itself or a GAO study; and/or assessing an agency's progress and projected goals against the stated goals of the FCCI.

All anyone needs to succeed with today’s cloud productivity and collaboration tools Clearly explains the cloud concepts and terminology you need to know Helps you choose your best options for managing data, content, and collaboration Shows how to use cloud services more securely and efficiently Today’s cloud-based collaboration and productivity tools can help companies work together more effectively at a lower cost. But wideranging choices and enormous hype make it tough to choose your best solutions. In Working in the Cloud, Jason R. Rich demystifies your options, introduces each leading tool, reviews their pros and cons, and offers tips for using them more successfully. This book covers Box, Cisco WebEx, DocuSign, Dropbox, Dropbox Paper, Evernote, Google Docs, Google Drive, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce.com, Skype for Business, Slack, Trello, and more. Throughout, he offers practical guidance on adjusting everyday workflows and processes to make the most of them. You’ll learn how to enforce security in the cloud, manage small group collaborations, customize tools to your unique needs, and achieve real-time collaboration with employees, partners, and customers across virtually all devices: PCs, Macs, tablets, and smartphones. If you’re ready to take full advantage of the cloud but don’t know how, get Working in the Cloud: It’s all you’ll need to know. Compare the resources you need to implement each cloud solution Organize data, documents, and files for easiest access Get access to your tools and content wherever you go Make sure your cloud-based appsand tools work together smoothly Enforce security and privacy using encryption and other technologies Plan security strategies for team leaders, members, and collaborators Encourage new workstyles to make the most of cloud collaboration Use Office 365 and/or Google G Suite for content creation, management, and collaboration Collaborate in large groups with WebEx, Exchange, SharePoint, and Slack Share, synchronize, and collaborate on content with Box and Dropbox Connect your sales team with Salesforce Take notes and stay organized with Evernote Securely review, edit, digitally sign, and share documents with DocuSign Manage tasks and projects visually with Trello Improve communication and reduce costs with Skype Discover tips and tricks for better, simpler, real-time collaboration

Cloud computing is rage these days. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner, senior analyst, Ben Pring. This book attempts to unravel the mystery behind this buzzword. The primary objective is to provide the introduction to the current practices of Cloud Computing, also known as the Internet as a platform. This book takes a cross-disciplinary approach covering topics in business, computer science, and information systems. Mainly focusing on cloud computing models, techniques, and architectures, this book provides knowledge and hands-on experience in designing and implementing cloud-based software systems. Topics included are advanced web technologies (AJAX and Mashup), distributed computing models and technologies (Hadoop and MapReduce), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), virtualization, parallelization, security/privacy, and other issues in cloud computing. This book also explores the current challenges facing cloud computing. This book has deep theoretical foundations of Cloud Computing and associated topics and case studies. Cloud Computing is one of the upcoming and sought after subjects in most IT companies. This subject will be useful to all professionals and B. Tech, MCA, M. Tech and MBA students. This edition has two new chapters which are most topical for current cloud implementation, namely: • Green Cloud Computing • Cloud Data Security Management

GovCloud - Book Synopsis & Review The Essential Desk Reference and Guide for Managers"GovCloud is the book we have all been waiting for. We are all using the term Cloud Computing but till now we did not have a common frame of reference to help us maximize this important construct. IT professionals know you do not build anything without a plan and this book offers the blueprints and guidelines you need in order to accelerate your movement to the cloud."Bob Gourley, Former CTO Defense Intelligence Agency, Founder and CTO of Crucial Point LLC.The United States Government is the world's largest consumer of information technology, spending over $76 billion annually on more than 10,000 different systems. Fragmentation of systems, poor project execution, and the drag of legacy technology in the Federal Government have presented barriers to achieving the productivity and performance gains found when technology is deployed effectively in the private sectors.All that is about to change as the Obama Administration obliges federal departments to look to Cloud computing to cut costs and solve many of the problems that have plagued IT deployment for decades. The problem, however, is how do federal IT managers and those controlling the budgets go about deciding what is best for them.The answer is GovCloud: Cloud Computing for the Business of Government, a new book written by Kevin Jackson, an acknowledged international expert in this arena.With writer Don Philpott, he has created an easy to understand five step process that explains what cloud computing is all about and what are the best options to meet your particular needs. It discusses in detail all the latest developments in this area from administration requirements to the search for industry-wide standards.Information technology should enable government to better serve the American people. But despite spending more than $600 billion on information technology over the past decade, the Federal Government has achieved little of the productivity improvements that private industry has realized from IT, said Jackson.Too often, Federal IT projects run over budget, behind schedule, or fail to deliver promised functionality. Many projects use "grand design" approaches that aim to deliver functionality every few years, rather than breaking projects into more manageable chunks and demanding new functionality every few quarters. In addition, the Federal Government too often relies on large, custom, proprietary systems when "light technologies" or shared services exist.The book describes the key characteristics of cloud computing and various deployment and delivery models. It contains case studies and best practices, how to set and meet goals, how to implement and use cloud computing and how to make sure it is working.Apart from increased efficiency, one of the major benefits of cloud computing is cost savings and there are worksheets on key performance indicators, return on investment cost and time indicator ratios and savings models.It is packed with practical tips, checklists and unique templates that can be used to design and implement cloud computing to meet agency specific needs. There is also a detailed glossary for those not familiar with cloud computing terms.Whether you are an IT manager tasked with developing an agency-wide cloud computing plan or a senior manager responsible for IT budgets, this is a reference book you cannot afford to be without.Reviews and Comments from Readers:- "I wrote in my book, Enterprise Cloud Computing, "In Switzerland, the famous Matterhorn casts a shadow over the town of Zermatt below. The cemetery at the foot of the mountain is a warning to those who would proceed up the steep slopes. Early pioneers who had neither maps nor guides are buried there, along with the primitive tools they thought were up to the task. Today, Swiss law prohibits the inexperienced from climbing the steep slopes without a guide. Today's business and technology professionals tasked with adopting cloud computing should heed the message sent down from the Matterhorn: A guide is needed to survive the journey ahead." Jackson and Philpott''s GovCloud is your guide to cloud computing for the business of government." - Peter FingarPeter Fingar is a Business Strategy Adviser and Author of Dot.Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform, and Enterprise Cloud Computing. (www.peterfingar.com)"From 375 Cloud Musings since May 2008 to a 244 page book in February 2011, Kevin Jackson and his word processor must never sleep! The table of contents, which is really a taxonomy of Government Cloud Computing, is worth the price of the book alone. I highly recommend this excellent resource for both those new and experienced in this exciting new field. Well done, Kevin!" - Brand NiemanBrand L. Niemann recently retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Computer Scientist and XML and Web Services Specialist in the Office of Environmental Information. He has received awards and recognitions for his work from the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the US Geological Survey, LOTUS, and ComputerWorld-Smithsonian."A very practical guide and a must-read for every government CIO and CTO." - Bob FloresBob Flores is the Founder, President, and CEO of Applicology Incorporated, an independent consulting firm specializing in information technology issues. Prior to this, Bob spent 31 years at the Central Intelligence Agency. While at CIA, Bob held various positions in the Directorate of Intelligence, Directorate of Support, and the National Clandestine Service. Toward the end of his career, Bob spent three years as the CIO's Chief Technology Officer where he was responsible for ensuring that the Agency's technology investments matched the needs of its mission. During this time Bob was also the Agency's representative on several government-wide information sharing committees and councils.- "Every Federal agency should approach cloud computing with a focus on improving mission execution and extending the value of critical Enterprise investments. 'GovCloud' provides excellent guidance for this important transition".Jody Tedesco, President & CEO, NJVC