Vivek Kundra Gets ‘B’ Grade as Federal CIO

Federal IT professionals believe Vivek Kundra made a positive impact during his tenure as United States CIO, but most feel data center consolidation efforts are underfunded and agencies are purposefully delaying a move to the cloud, according to a new study.

"Over to You, Mr. VanRoekel ... A Federal IT Referendum on Change", picked the brains of 174 federal IT workers in August, as Steven VanRoekel took over as federal CIO from Kundra. Conducted by MeriTalk, a government IT network, the study spotlights concerns about conflicting mandates and unrealistic timelines in regard to IT implementation at the federal level. The study results show that 92 percent of federal IT professionals believe moving to the cloud is a good idea for government. But only 29 percent are following Kundra’s Cloud First policy and 42 percent say they are taking a “wait-and-see” approach before making any decisions. Although respondents gave Kundra a “B” in regard to his leadership, a majority felt his ideas weren't doable in the immediate future. The study revealed that while 95 percent of federal IT workers support data center consolidation, approximately 70 percent believed federal agencies would not be able to eliminate the mandated 800 data centers by 2015. In addition, while 74 percent of those surveyed anticipate Uncle Sam saving at least $75 million by consolidating data centers, 85 percent say new investment is needed in order to make those savings a reality.