Crosscutting Issues in Information and Technology Management
The federal government relies on information management systems and networks to help carry out vital missions and public services, but its management and use of information and technology are not always effective. Improvements are necessary to ensure that taxpayer money is not ill spent and vital government missions are not compromised.
- Agencies have spent billions of dollars on developing systems and processes that are not cost effective, fail to deliver expected results, and do not provide the best solutions to agencies’ needs.
- Not all agencies are taking full advantage of the opportunities provided by technological change and innovation, including opportunities to make dramatic improvements in customer service and drive down administrative costs.
- In an era of rapidly changing technology, agencies are challenged not only
in managing information systems but also in the collection, use, and dissemination
of information.
- Managing these systems and information requires agencies, among other things, to provide adequate security and privacy protections, including addressing uses of Social Security numbers.
- Such challenges have led to the inclusion of several topics on GAO’s high-risk list, including
- preparing for and carrying out the rapidly approaching 2010 Census,
the most recent addition to the list;
Highlights of GAO-08-550T (PDF) - carrying out crucial large-scale modernization efforts at the Department
of Defense (DOD), the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Internal
Revenue Service;
- establishing information-sharing mechanisms to improve homeland security; and
- protecting the federal government’s information systems and the nation’s critical infrastructures.
^ Back to topKey Reports
- Information Technology: Agencies Need to Establish Comprehensive Policies to Address Changes to Projects' Cost, Schedule, and Performance Goals
- GAO-08-925, July 31, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 59 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Information Security: Progress Reported, but Weaknesses at Federal Agencies Persist
- GAO-08-571T, March 12, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 35 pages)
- Information Technology: Significant Problems of Critical Automation Program Contribute to Risks Facing 2010 Census
- GAO-08-550T, March 5, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 26 pages) Accessible Text
- Cyber Analysis and Warning: DHS Faces Challenges in Establishing a Comprehensive National Capability
- GAO-08-588, July 31, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 67 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- DOD Business Systems Modernization: Progress in Establishing Corporate Management Controls Needs to Be Replicated Within Military Departments
- GAO-08-705, May 15, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 54 pages) Accessible Text
