San Diego County opts for Windows Azure to host and manage their Emergency Management System

Windows Azure recently underwent a complete facelift, making it easier to manage your cloud environment as well as offering a host of new features and functionality, including support for Linux and various open source applications freely available through an easy to use (and install) directory. For smaller government agencies, it makes all the sense inRead… Read more »

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Great White flashback to 1987 – Is he wearing a robe? To my wife’s dismay, this is not a post about the 80’s hair band, Great White. (Thank goodness!) This is about project communication and estimation. Mark had done his best. Being new to project teams, he tried to estimate his tasks as well asRead… Read more »

WRU: Links Worth Clicking

In an effort to again renew the old weekly-round-up (WRU) I bring you a small list of links worth clicking: Public Sector “Bureaucrats at odds over release of postal code data” http://t.co/ZO5AQ5eR “First wave of 2,200 federal public servants faces layoffs” http://t.co/Z3fwuRW “Fed bureaucrats collected $1.2 billion in severance without being laid off” “Public servantsRead… Read more »

Digital visions

I spend a fair bit of time talking to local councils and the like about taking a strategic approach to digital stuff, although usually it is mostly around engagement, and a bit of communications. It’s important – simply to know what you want to achieve and why. As soon as you have those things figureRead… Read more »

Better questions get better answers

Getting the right answer is important. But it is impossible to get the right answer unless we ask the right question. Time and effort invested in better questions pays off in better answers. There used to be a zebra crossing across the main road. Pedestrians could get across easily and motorists were discouraged from usingRead… Read more »

Ten tips for social media engagement by government (from the UK Cabinet Office)

The UK Cabinet Office recently released Social Media Guidance for civil servants. The guidance goes far beyond the level and sophistication of material I’ve seen from many other jurisdictions, offering support and useful advice, not just rules and warnings. It also provides advice to CTOs and CIOs on how to oversome some of the technicalRead… Read more »

Introducing Datameer 2.0: Hadoop (and more) to the desktop

Datameer’s new version adds to its already impressive ability to empower enterprise users. Datameer was already a capability that could be used by both advanced data scientists and the average enterprise workforce. Now its capabilities have been enhanced to the point that anyone with a PC can use it. I received a webinar of theRead… Read more »