Goetz went as far as to suggest that state CIO positions be given cabinet-level status. This would foster better understanding between advisers and technology professionals, he said.
Roth cautioned, however, against making IT professionals part of the political machinery per se because IT initiatives have to be developed for the long term and must survive administrations. "What's critical is to get [IT] engaged with the administration, but remain responsive to state legislators as well," Goetz said.
Wisconsin state CIO Matt Miszewski understands this fine line. Forgetting the political context of a project puts CIOs at risk of driving that project in the wrong direction, he says. This can cost states money and cost CIOs their jobs. He adds: "You have to understand the political reality."
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
