IT is only part of e-gov, Cisco exec says

To realize true electronic government, don't rely on information technology

to do all the work, an executive at Internet networking company Cisco Systems

Inc. said Wednesday.

Agencies' functional executives should educate their superiors and other

employees on what the Internet can do to enable e-government, according

to Sue Bostrom, senior vice president of Cisco's Internet Business Solutions

Group.

"A lot of leading-edge, public-sector CIOs are helping to educate their

executive director peers," said Bostrom, speaking after her keynote speech

at the E-Gov trade show in Washington, D.C. "A lot of times when we have

seminars, the CIO doesn't come alone but brings the entire executive staff,

as well as the IT folks."

And as government tries to operate in Internet time, "The education is required

unless you got your MBA two years ago or have a computer science degree,"

Bostrom said. "If not, you're out of date as far as how the Internet really

operates."

Bostrom also urged government agencies to use the World Wide Web to transform

the way they operate internally, and not use the Web as a facade that masks

outdated business operations.

"Ninety percent of our orders are received online, and 55 percent never

touch human hands," Bostrom said. "It is different in the public sector,

but you have to ask yourself, "Can you fulfill constituent needs all the

way to the back end?'"

Bostrom also emphasized the importance of not relying solely on technology.

"It's not about IT doing a good job. Its about leaders in an organization

partnering with IT to make a difference."