Outsourcers Could Play A Major Role In Federal Emergency Preparedness

[Flabbergasted]

http://www.informationweek.com/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=183702671&subSection=IT+Services

Federal CIOs push for a better understanding of how outsourcers could continue providing public services in crises

By Jennifer Maselli
InformationWeek

Mar 27, 2006 12:00 AM

During a panel discussion on emergency preparedness at the federal Executive Leadership Conference last fall, several senior government officials had the same epiphany: Outsourced IT could play a major role in keeping the government in business during a national crisis.

Justice Department CIO Vance Hitch and Health and Human Services CIO Charles Havekost were on that panel, and both began thinking of ways that outsourcing might mitigate some of the risks associated with natural disasters or terrorist attacks. These could be IT functions that the government always runs in-house, Havekost says, but when it comes to emergency preparedness "there may be a value proposition to use a commercial provider."

For example, if a government building was put out of commission during an emergency, officials would be able to access those outsourced systems and services. Availability during an emergency or crisis is one of the advantages Havekost sees in his agency's recent decision to replace its 13 E-mail systems with a hosted E-mail service.

[Vincardog]

1. Right we saw how well that worked for FEMA in NO

The Reich Wing Nutz have been singing the same song for the last 6 years. They have outsourced most of the military support and made Billionaires while giving out armed forces dirty water. Is there no end to the corrupt crony capitalists?

Is this the American dream. Work hard and you get to the head of the bread line?

[Eugene]

2. Like how FEMA outsourced bussing evacuaees

to a logistics firm with no busses of its own?
That worked out so well for New Orleans, didn't it?

This will turn out to be yet another no-bid giveaway
to a Bush donor.