Office of Technology Strategy

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Governmentwide Policy mission is to provide policy leadership to drive agency alignment with Presidential management initiatives and promote expertly managed space, supplies, services, and IT solutions at the best value, thus enabling Federal agencies to better accomplish their missions. The Office of Technology Strategy creates opportunities for intergovernmental and public-private collaboration to achieve an integrated policy and technical infrastructure for the Government’s use of information technology and telecommunications. We lead agency teams to reach agreement on uniform standards and interoperability guidelines and coordinate governmentwide implementation. By working closely with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), we contribute to the development and evolution of the Federal Enterprise Architecture and improved agency alignment. We develop policy and implementation guidance for adoption of common business approaches and architectures, which include innovative technologies and accessibility of government information and services. Today’s governmentwide policy development emphasizes collaborative development among federal agencies, the private sector, key stakeholders and other interested parties. The goal is to ensure that governmentwide policies and guidance allow and encourage agencies to develop and utilize the best, most cost effective management practices for the conduct of their specific programs. The Office of Technology Strategy assists agencies and OMB by coordinating and defining ways that electronic information technology can enhance access and delivery of information and services to citizens, business partners, employees, agencies, and government entities. It also works with other GSA components to align service offerings with evolving IT policy. Our principles are to assist OMB in the leadership of information technology to:

• Deliver customer-centric approaches rather than stove-piped Agency-centric processes Require and assist agencies to achieve technical and procedural interoperability across government and with industry partners. Provide common access to Government services and information via government-wide portals that are organized around the needs of communities of customers. Build strong privacy protection, confidentiality, and trust. Influence industry technology development to meet government needs, and adopt commercial products, practices, and standards. Foster strong interagency, inter-organizational, and cross sector leadership to promote the sharing of information and leading practices.
• Re-engineer paper-based processes to produce results that will dramatically improve service and responsiveness while reducing costs.

The Technology Strategy office also supports various interagency committees involved in technology policy and implementation, including the Chief Information Officers Council, Chief Acquisition Officer’s Council, Chief Financial Officers Council and the Federal Identity Credentialing Committee (FICC). The FICC addresses internal government identity credentialing directives and provides a policy, governance, technical, and architectural framework for strong authentication of identity. It has been instrumental in developing and providing detailed implementation tools for agency and industry use, standardization of technical guidance, and a common acquisition strategy that calls for agencies to implement federally approved products. The office also supports the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) Executive Steering Committee and makes recommendations to them regarding establishment, demonstration, and operation of the Federal Identity Credentialing component of the Federal Enterprise Architecture and the government-wide shared services strategy.

The Technology Strategy office works with government and non-government partners to ensure privacy laws and principles are adhered to and individual privacy is protected in the development and implementation of all federal electronic applications.  

Websites:

· Authentication Portal – http://www.idmanagement.gov
· E-Authentication - http://www.cio.gov/eauthentication
· Federal Bridge Certification Authority - http://www.cio.gov/fbca
· Federal Identity Credentialing Committee - http://www.cio.gov/ficc
· Federal PKI Policy Authority - http://www.cio.gov/fpkipa
· Federal PKI Steering Committee - http://www.cio.gov/fpkisc
· Federal Smart Card - http://www.smartcard.gov