IT on fast track at State

The State Department is ready to move forward on its critical information technology projects once fiscal 2002 funds are approved, State Department chief information officer Fernando Burbano said.

His comments come despite conventional wisdom that the presidential transition has slowed federal technology spending. But unlike some agencies that have found projects delayed as they await appointments, Secretary of State Colin Powell has put technology near the top of his agenda.

"We're on a fast track actually," Burbano said during a speech June 27 at the e-Gov Summit sponsored by the nonprofit Private Sector Council. Previously, the IT improvements were going to be rolled out during a period of five years, but department officials are now hoping to implement key IT initiatives in 24 months, Burbano said.

The IT initiatives largely depend on budget appropriations. The Bush administration's fiscal 2002 budget request includes $210 million for improving the department's IT infrastructure — $113.2 million more than fiscal 2001 spending levels.

Agency appropriations often have been approved well after the Oct. 1 start of the government's fiscal year, and Burbano said that State's IT initiatives are contingent on those funds.

Powell has made upgrading the department's technology a key priority, and he met with Burbano in early February, soon after Powell became secretary.

Because Powell knows about technology and its importance to the organization, IT initiatives at State are not a hard sell, Burbano said. "We have the best secretary," he said.

State has three key IT initiatives:

* Using the Internet for sensitive but unclassified communications.

* Developing the department's classified system.

* Integrating the department's foreign affairs.