Washington State Government Tech Spending Trends Upward

RESTON, Va., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Contractors will learn how to align their business development plans with information technology spending trends in the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, and King County; and the data center initiatives of the state of Washington, at INPUT and TechAmerica's State and Local Executive Breakfast on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, at the Hotel Bellevue, 11200 SE 6th St., Bellevue, Wash.

The event features top technology leaders, composed of Department of Information Services' (DIS) Enterprise Program Director Jim Albert; Bill Kehoe, newly appointed chief information officer, King County; Toni Cramer, chief information officer, Bellevue; and Bill Schrier, chief technology officer, Seattle. The event also features Tim Brett, senior manager, State and Local Information Services at INPUT. According to Brett, Washington state IT spending grew in fiscal years 2007–2009: "The 13 percent increase in spending to $1.9 billion marks a shift from portfolio hardware investments to expenditures for hardware repairs, software enhancements and maintenance, and salary costs." He also underscored the fact that the state's IT strategy is transforming from a largely distributed operating environment to a consolidated environment. "This will be achieved through virtualization, capacity on demand, managed storage networks, statewide shared services, and the implementation of 'virtual containers' in which agencies exercise a degree of autonomy and isolation in managing their portion of the state's private cloud," he said.

Contractors will obtain a deeper understanding of DIS initiatives and related opportunities, as the department develops information on establishing and operating a statewide data center. The department recently issued a request for information, which generated an overwhelming response from several large state and local government contractors, comprised of: Acadia, Affiliated Computer Services, BMC Software, Computer Associates, Verizon, D&T Ventures, INX, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Unisys, Capgemini, Symantec, CSC, IBM, and SunGard.

"INPUT is very excited to be hosting this event in Washington state," said Jae Corey, manager, Events. "The state is a bustling technology hub at the cutting edge of IT trends; our members and other attendees will certainly gain new and fresh insights into city and state efforts. We're also honored that Jim Albert, the state's enterprise program director, is one of our keynote speakers. We'll learn more about his plans regarding the continued success of the state's initiatives."

Additional issues to be addressed at the event include:

• The impact of the budget crisis and economic stimulus funds on state, city, and county technology initiatives
• Private sector involvement methods for providing solutions on technology expansions
• Emerging technology initiatives in the state of Washington, the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, and King County

Event Details:

Date:  Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010

Time:  7:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PDT

Location: Hotel Bellevue, 11200 SE 6th Street, Bellevue, Wash.

Sponsors: This event is supported by premier sponsor Motorola; supporting sponsor IDS Scheer, a Software AG company; and exhibitor sponsor Intel. 

About INPUT

INPUT is the authority on government business. Established in 1974, INPUT helps companies develop federal, state, and local government business and helps public sector organizations achieve their objectives. More than 2,000 member organizations, including small specialized companies, new entrants to the public sector, and the largest government contractors and agencies, rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive government procurement information, consulting, powerful sales management tools, and educational and networking events. For more information, visit www.INPUT.com or call 703-707-3500.

About TechAmerica

TechAmerica is the leading voice for the U.S. technology industry, which is the driving force behind productivity growth and jobs creation in the United States and the foundation of the global innovation economy. Representing approximately 1,200 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, it is the industry's largest advocacy organization and is dedicated to helping members' top and bottom lines.  

Proper use of name is INPUT.

SOURCE INPUT