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;
Highlights of GAO-08-550T (PDF)
- carrying out crucial large-scale modernization efforts at the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Internal Revenue Service;
Highlights of GAO-09-586 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-09-281 (PDF)
- establishing information-sharing mechanisms to improve homeland security; and
Highlights of GAO-09-40 (PDF)
- protecting the federal government's information systems and the nation's critical infrastructures
Highlights of GAO-09-661T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-588 (PDF)
^ Back to topKey Reports
Information Security
Agencies Make Progress in Implementation of Requirements, but Significant Weaknesses Persist
GAO-09-701T, May 19, 2009
GAO-09-701T, May 19, 2009
DOD Business Systems Modernization
Recent Slowdown in Institutionalizing Key Management Controls Needs to Be Addressed
GAO-09-586, May 18, 2009
GAO-09-586, May 18, 2009
Information Technology
Management and Oversight of Projects Totaling Billions of Dollars Need Attention
GAO-09-624T, Apr 28, 2009
GAO-09-624T, Apr 28, 2009
