“As the coronavirus puts a toll on public health and the economy, the demand for information during the pandemic has strained agency websites and the employees who run them.”
“Webpages run by the IRS, the Postal Service, and the National Institutes of Health make up just a few of the dot-gov sites that saw hundreds of millions of visits over the last month.”
“Amid this surge in traffic, investments in digital government have paid dividends for some agencies, and some have sought to expedite modernization projects through funding in the CARES Act.”
“Meanwhile, House Democrats continue to press for $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund to further bankroll these modernization projects.”
“During the pandemic, the Labor Department has rolled out digital certifications, multiple agencies have onboarded new employees virtually, and in-person visits to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Social Security Administration appointments have moved to videoconference platforms.”
“Federal Chief Information Officer Suzette Kent, speaking Thursday at Adobe’s virtual digital government symposium, said these examples were already part of the government modernization roadmap, but have rapidly scaled in response to the pandemic.”
“’In crisis, one often has new clarity about what is important and what’s most needed, and the national response to COVID-19 required that agencies continue to support mission continuity but also be incredibly nimble and aggressive in how they responded,’ Kent said…” Read the full article here.
Source: 21st Century IDEA envisioned a digital government, a pandemic made it happen – By Jory Heckman, May 22, 2020. Federal News Network.
