Shaping Future Government Global Universities Challenge 2018

whitePaper | June 1, 2022

The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the critical role of sustainable water systems and the transformational power that water access has in the life of each person on earth. From its most basic role as the source of life to its advanced role in powering global economies, water matters. Still, its ubiquity in everyday life risks leading us to take it for granted — while global trends in population growth, urbanization, environmental degradation, deforestation, and climate change pose growing challenges to water security around the world. Here at home, water crises are becoming more frequent and intense. Historic droughts threaten our supply of water, and failing infrastructure and chronic underinvestment deprive our most vulnerable communities of safe drinking water. Lack of sanitation threatens public health, individual safety and dignity, equity, and the protection of freshwater resources; extreme weather events intensify these risks where improved sanitation is unavailable. As the source of both life and livelihoods, water security is central to human and national security.

whitePaper | June 10, 2022

The public sector is feeling the squeeze between an increase in cyber attacks and a lack of increased resources to keep up. In a recent survey conducted on behalf of SolarWinds, public sector respondents reported increased concern over ransomware, malware and phishing the most over the previous year, but time to detection and resolution had not improved for the majority.1 To bolster application security, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum directing agencies to identify critical software and implement the latest protections outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Another OMB memorandum presented a federal zero trust architecture (ZTA) strategy that requires agencies to meet specific cybersecurity standards and objectives by the end of FY2024.

whitePaper | March 30, 2022

Why have we written disparaging statements about government when our firm is so deeply committed to public sector excellence? These include statements like “as the fire rages on, our governments seem powerless” and “hunches no longer pass for evidence these days, unless we’re talking about government policy.” We have compared the policy-making process to a chaotic game of tag and suggested that government policymakers can act as seemingly irrational as Cosmo Kramer did on Seinfeld.

whitePaper | February 12, 2022

At Google, we know that transparency plays a critical role in earning and maintaining customer trust. That is why Google Cloud has taken steps to develop industry-leading product capabilities that enhance the control that our customers have over their data, and that give customers visibility into when and how their data is accessed. We think it is important to be clear at the outset about where we stand: our customers own their data and have the right to control access to it. Like other technology and communication companies, Google receives requests from governments and courts around the world for customer information, including requests for Google Cloud customer information. Google Cloud has developed a transparent, fair, and thorough process that meets international best practices when it comes to data access requests from law enforcement agencies and governments. Google provides a response on a case-by-case basis, taking into account different circumstances and informed by legal requirements, customer agreements, and privacy policies. We are committed to protecting privacy while also complying with applicable laws.

whitePaper | December 1, 2022

The business of providing information and communications technology (ICT) integrations to governments has changed significantly over the past five years. Before the disruptions caused by the pandemic, government ICT requirements were well-understood. Most government departments were in the process of either starting or planning for a cloud-centric digital transformation that would enable more efficient operations and a more effective delivery of services to citizens. However, the onset of the pandemic derailed most of those plans when the key priority shifted to finding ways for government employees to continue to do their jobs remotely

whitePaper | September 7, 2022

Application programming interfaces, or APIs, enable government agencies to seamlessly share data across federal, state, and local levels. They are quite frankly the glue that allows agencies to deliver services to mission partners, civilians, and even disabled veterans. Similar to how retailers create personalized experiences by integrating location, inventory, and payment data, government agencies also create contextual experiences for constituents and personnel by leveraging APIs. The impact of APIs can be seen across all major sectors of government, including traffic and transportation management, utilities, healthcare, social services, agriculture, as well as law enforcement. With the seamless connection between datasets and agencies, government personnel are able to innovate faster and drive speed to mission. How exactly? APIs reduce the workload and redundant operations performed by developers by allowing them to access data stored elsewhere. This enables them to quickly execute on tasks and take on more important projects of greater impact.