Obama arrives in White House on Tech Ticket

Yesterday’s inauguration of the US’ first African-American president, a large enough change in itself, his attitude towards technology is notably different to that of his predecessor, George W Bush.

Obama’s tech-savvy campaign has been discussed at length; his used of social media and YouTube, for example, was a key method in gaining support for his candidacy. The Obama team used consumer relations management tool Salesforce to connect with US citizens on its website, and used Silverlight to stream the inauguration onto the presidential website. Now that he is president, this enthusiasm for technology has built expectations in the sector, and demands for improvements and investment in new technologies are flooding in.

Online security is a top priority for some groups. The Future of Privacy Forum has already put pressure on Obama to improve security for consumers, whilst the Centre for Strategic and International Studies has called for a body separate from Homeland Security and the Joint Inter-Agency Cyber Task Force to be created to tackle online security. Meanwhile, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association is pushing for tightening of legislation around intellectual property. Obama’s pro-technology stance may lead to his administration biting off more than it can chew with such demands.

The new president, however, appears to have several answers, if not concrete plans, well-prepared, at least. His technology platform responds well to many of the demands made, showing that careful thought has been put into problems surrounding R&D, patent reform and network neutrality. His planned overhaul of the government’s technology infrastructure is particularly promising, with many industry heads welcoming change.

If Obama is to get the country back on its feet again it is essential that technological developments are approached with finance in mind. It’s no good opting for a blank cheque, the liklihood that plans will fail are greater – sticking to fixed-costs will enable services to regain the control of their IT that they deserve.

New president, new challenges

‘Change has come to America’ Obama said in a victory speech that made history. As the new president was inaugurated yesterday, a number of new challenges face the first ever African-American Commander-In-Chief. Not only must he rescue an economy in trouble, revamp the country’s energy supplies, and avert rising employment levels, but many commentators are calling for massive advances in technology.

Economic growth, it is often argued by technology chiefs, can only be achieved by further advances in their sector, and they could be right. Currently, many of the US’ most talented programmers are immigrants to the country, often from the developing nations such as China and India. Meanwhile, a new generation of Americans without the technological skills needed to succeed in business are facing rising unemployment numbers. Investment in technological education could bring about a boost to the flagging economy in the long-term. In order to achieve this, and business in general, greater broadband infrastructures are needed to get such a vast and sparsely-populated country online completely. In the mean time, the US’ H1B Visa system is said by many to be sorely lacking, and so an overhaul of this could ease the flow of tech talent into the states.

The other challenge linked to the economy is green technology. With America’s greatest car manufacturers on their knees, and climate change taking effect, investment in green technology is beginning to seem like the only way in which to rid the US of its gas-guzzling curse without causing mass unemployment in the long-term.

Privacy and security is the two-headed problem on many Americans’ lips. Several think tanks and pressure groups have called for a new national officer to take control of the country’s privacy effort. There are also plans to create new laws around intellectual property and privacy, which demonstrates the forward thinking of the new administration.

In short, Obama’s plate is already full. With the technological know-how already displayed in his campaign, the question as to whether his administration can meet these challenges remains to be seen.

If the country is to benefit from its technological heritage America should embrace talented specialists and utilise international resources. By making the most of these services around the World which they laid the foundation in the 1960’s and 70’s the economy can recover by maintaining fixed-costs and begin identifying new areas and industries to develop skills in.

Today America will see the True Power of Technology

Today is no ordinary day for any person worldwide, it marks a day that the newswires go crazy, bloggers go nuts, podcasters rapidly post and journalists hunt to find the bigger story. Obama's inauguration will be forever remembered as statistics for this spectacular event - where America gets its first black President and a return to Democratic rule - come out in full force; millions of people here, billions of others there.

However the day will put an enourmous pressure on digital technologies as everyday people scramble to get the latest on the presidents moves. Just like the most popular events of the year when mobile phone masts get blocked as people celebrate Christmas and New Year. The daily slowdown of the internet between 7 - 11pm, and intense viewing figures increase a programmes popularity will have a major affect on instant communication. It is important you expect a slow-down in technology over the next 48 hours.

With warnings circulating the internet, while you celebrate this change in times, it is essential your systems can cope with all security threats. There is already a virus going round suggesting Obama will stand down deciding not to accept the post - however it is extremely unlikely this will happen.

• Ensure your employees know not to open any Obama related emails from insecure email addresses.
• Wait until the hysteria has died down before changing strategy based on Obama's words