This Is Not Your Father’s IT Management (NAPSA)—Whobuys the most information technology in the world? You guessed it—the U.S. government. Each year federal agencies purchase $60 billion of IT assets— equipment, software and services—with the government’s purchasing arm, the General Services Administration (GSA), con- trolling one-third of the market. And that means GSA has a monumental need for best IT practices. To keep government agencies humming, GSA has to support and supply all kinds of IT services. This means everything from policy and planning, security, systems analysis, applications software and operating systems to network services, data management, Internet services, systems administration and customer ser- vices. You name it, and if it’s related to IT in any way, you can bet that GSA doesit. You might be surprised, but this is not old-time IT management. Two changes are most obvious: One, government business managers and IT system developers are learning to work together to plan integrated businessstrategies based on information. And two, they are extending the planning to more and more aspects of the organization—to enterprisewide business systems. IT-infused business strategies require both the “MBAs”and the “DBAs” to understand each OUR eze! do that here! Information technology special- ists are needed to help keep government agencies humming. other’s language and needs. Few are trained for this task and some resist it. The parties are also learning to relinquish exclusive control over their respective domains. For many, that is downright threatening,to say the least. That’s why GSAis encouraging its army of IT specialists to develop and practice some of the most advanced IT purchasing and management solutions anywhere. In the fast-paced arena of IT, and with that much taxpayer money at stake, GSA can’t afford to allow its client base of government agencies to be left behind. When it comes to IT and the many career opportunities available, the word around GSA is reflected in the agency’s recruitment slogan: “You can do that here!” To learn more about GSA IT occupations, visit the Web site at www.gsa.gov/jobs.
