Propelled by the IT revolution, productivity in the private economy has grown in the last two decades at roughly double the rate of the 1970s and 80s. But as Federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients argues, government has for the most part missed the wave. The Department of Veterans Affairs still processes claims by hand while veterans wait months for their benefits. The Patent Office receives applications electronically but then prints them out, re-scans them and enters them into an outmoded case management system. And there are plenty of other examples.
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Month: September 2010
Hope for Breach and Security Legislation
Lawmakers have been working for five years — through three Congresses — to craft legislation that would help safeguard consumers’ personal data online and require that they be notified when there are breaches so they can take further steps to protect themselves. And now, the legislative finish line is in sight. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee … Read More >>
A Jolt of Stimulus for Local Economies
The software industry and trade officials who negotiate on software matters at times face incredulity when we encourage countries to step up enforcement of intellectual property rights. Some skeptical officials wonder (even if they don’t say aloud), “What’s in it for us?” They assume — falsely — that enforcing intellectual property rights boosts the profits of multinational firms that create software products but provides no significant benefit to a local economy where the software is being sold.
A new study from BSA and IDC shows that couldn’t be further from the truth. Reducing software theft actually sends ripples of stimulus through local economies. The new study finds that a 10-percentage-point drop in worldwide software piracy over four years would inject more than $142 billion into the global economy, create nearly 500,000 jobs and generate $32 billion in tax revenues. What’s more, 82 percent of those benefits would accrue inside the countries that achieve the piracy reductions.
The software industry and trade officials who negotiate on software matters at times face incredulity when we encourage countries to step up enforcement of intellectual property rights. Some skeptical officials wonder (even if they don’t say aloud), “What’s in it for us?” They assume — falsely — that enforcing intellectual property rights boosts the profits of multinational firms that create software products but provides no significant benefit to a local economy where the software is being sold.
A new study from BSA and IDC shows that couldn’t be further from the truth. Reducing software theft actually sends ripples of stimulus through local economies. The new study finds that a 10-percentage-point drop in worldwide software piracy over four years would inject more than $142 billion into the global economy, create nearly 500,000 jobs and generate $32 billion in tax revenues. What’s more, 82 percent of those benefits would accrue inside the countries that achieve the piracy reductions.
Decoding SAM
Software is an indispensible tool in the operations of businesses and organizations of all types and sizes. But managing it can be a challenge. Companies without a systematic process in place to administer their software assets may buy too many licenses — unnecessarily draining financial resources that could be put to better use — or … Read More >>
CTOs Bring Cloud Savvy to Federal Government
Today kicks off the BSA CTO Forum — an annual series of meetings between private sector chief technology officers and their counterparts in the federal government and policymakers on Capitol Hill. I view this year’s forum as the “Davos” of cloud computing. We are bringing together the best private and public sector technologists to discuss how … Read More >>