Budget freeze could lead agencies to focus on IT projects that reduce costs

The Obama administration's proposed discretionary spending freeze for fiscal 2011 could end up increasing investments in information technology, according to a report released on Monday by a government research firm. In an analysis of priorities laid out in the president's Jan. 27 State of the Union address, IDC Government Insights, an independent research and advisory firm, concluded that agencies can reduce spending with strategic investment in IT solutions. The report also found that the budget freeze provides a need for agencies to build more standardized information systems.