How did the recent comments by President Obama and federal CIO Vivek Kundra that "federal IT is horrible" affect you? Federal News Radio surveyed 81 CIOs and deputy CIOs and discovered that such statements hurt morale and contribute to the perception that federal technology is behind industry.
The survey found that 80 percent of respondents say bashing federal IT is hurtful, while 60 percent say the perception of federal IT is a bigger problem than the technology itself. Many CIOs also say the belief that federal tech is "horrible" is inaccurate, with 60 percent saying they do not agree with the President and Kundra's comments.
In addition, 60 percent of CIOs surveyed rated their agency's IT programs as good or excellent in how they meet their missions. Just more than half of respondents also say their agency's tech is as good or better as the private sector, while 40 percent believe their agency's IT is worse than industry.
Meanwhile, the areas the federal tech community could most improve on are mobile computing, application development/software and workforce skills, CIOs said in the survey.
Do you agree with the administration and Kundra's comments? What impact have they had on your morale and reputation as a federal IT worker?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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