Cyber security, network security and dumpster diving.

In 1978, a 15-year-old Los Angeles kid named Kevin Mitnick figured out exactly how he could ride the public transit system in the greater LA area for free. All it took was a smile and some pleasant conversation. Once he became friends with some public transit drivers, he learned where he could get his own ticket punch and subsequently made it routine to dumpster dive for unused public transit transfer slips. Mitnick rode around town for free any time he wanted. This is classic use of social engineering as a means to defeat a process – very cool and very dangerous stuff.

Rauf Bolden, IT Director
GMIS member since 2008
Number of IT staff: Staff of one, plus myriad contractors and vendors who support IT. Technology does not have to be the face of the city like Fire, Police or Public Works. I argue, the city should not be the job, but government should create jobs in the private sector. This lowers the cost of insurance, benefits and so on for the taxpayer.
Population: 5,000
IT budget: $150K

The GMIS family comes from many backgrounds. Personally, I am a web developer and coder who inherited the IT role in a small town of 5,000 people. I can manage both Web and IT because the city has a very capable IT consultant and other vendors who take care of HDD failures and so on. Technology does not have to be the face of the city like Fire, Police or Public Works. I argue, the city should not be the job, but government should create jobs in the private sector, thus lowering cost of insurance, benefits and so on for our taxpayers.

Designed to inform debate in the run up to the next election, SOCITM has launched a policy briefing on how local digital public services can best be delivered.

Real transformation is impossible without behaviour and cultural change and to take advantage of new technologies we need to think and act differently. This working paper from Public-i explores what that means for government leaders, many of whom gained their skills in an era when technology was something you could leave to someone else and digital did not exist.

Another shake-up is underway in what’s become one of the most crucial jobs in state government: the top information technology officer. (The Fiscal Times)

Every state has policies governing how long records are saved and when they can be purged—if ever. But those retention policies vary greatly across states. Often employees have to determine on their own whether to keep or delete an email. (Government Executive)

The next frontier for cultivating open data into public services lies in small and mid-sized cities, according to Mark Headd, the former chief data officer for Philadelphia. (State Scoop)

A host of private-sector companies are offering unlimited vacation time to employees, but public-sector CIOs aren't sure the practice is feasible for technologists in government. (Gov Tech)

While there's no magic formula that will instantly close the gender gap that still exists in the IT field today, business leaders can take these steps to help shift the male-dominated culture towards increased diversity. (CIO)

On June 12, the D.C. Council held a hearing on an urban farming bill that would, among other things, approve property tax abatement for anyone leasing small plots of Washington, D.C., land for the purpose of cultivating produce. For many D.C. residents, attending a mid-morning hearing would be tough, if not impossible. But as it progressed, voters weighed in using a new online tool. (Next City)

Our annual Best of the Web contest ranks these 32 state and local websites as leaders in digital information and services. (Gov Tech)

An initiative called Foodborne Chicago, launched in March of 2013 monitors Twitter for tweets coming out of the Chicago area including the term "food poisoning," according to program materials. Those suffering from symptoms are then contacted for more information, so the city can investigate if health code violators caused the illness. (American City & County)