FOSE: Day one-half -- the Azimuth Awards

Yes, it is FOSE, Day 1 and, I don't know how the vendors are feeling, but the show floor has been quiet crowded all day.

First off, let me get this out of the way -- the FOSE trade show is owned by 1105 Government Information Group, parent company of Federal Computer Week and FCW.com. With that out of the way...

Last night, I got to attend the Azimuth Award presentation, which is awarded the night before the start of FOSE. The Azimuth Award (define: azimuth) is selected by the CIO Council and recognizes two people -- one government and one industry -- and they are essentially lifetime achievement awards. Last night, as FCW news editor Jason Miller aptly put it:

The CIO Council picked two winners of the 2007 Azimuth Award that couldn't be more different. The federal executive toiled in the government 34 years before retiring last December. The industry executive was a millionaire by the time he was 34, and now at 36 is heading up at least two new companies.

But what they do have in common is their vision on how technology should be used and their ability to change the way people apply it.

Glenn Schlarman, who worked for the FBI, Energy Department and the Office of Management and Budget before stepping down last year, led the federal effort to secure information and keep it private all the while understanding the importance of information dissemination and accessibility. In some ways, Schlarman had competing and complimentary jobs.

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape Communications Corp. and chairman of Opsware Inc., provided his guidance and technical expertise to the federal government on assorted e-government initiatives, focusing on the goal of getting information or services to citizens. He has provided e-government program managers with insight on developing performance metrics among his contributions.