Opinion: New York City needs a new operating system

It’s beyond metaphor to say society, business and government all run on software. While there’s plenty we still do that doesn’t involve a screen, we have increasing amounts of digital interactions running on software while using social media, e-commerce applications and while interacting with all levels of government.

In New York City, residents and visitors have many digital interactions with city government, maybe without even realizing it. Emergency response, water usage monitoring, planning for new construction and oversight of utility construction on city streets all rely on complicated digital information technology systems. Different city agencies have responsibility for each of these and many more systems, appropriately so as they all rely on agency subject matter experts.  

However, the city should have an overall strategy to prioritize technology investments, since there’s never enough funding to meet all IT needs. The city also needs overall IT management best practices to ensure agencies wisely use their IT investments.

So how should NYC create and use an IT strategy and management best practice? We offer six recommendations.

1. A NYC Chief Information Officer needs to be in charge. New York City deserves a CIO dedicated to transforming the city’s technology to deliver the mayor’s priorities, separate from the responsibilities of running the Office of Technology and Innovation, the city’s shared services agency. The federal government has a single CIO reporting to the White House, within the federal Office of Management and Budget. NYC’s CIO should report to the mayor and lead IT investment decision-making within the city’s OMB. The position should also oversee maintaining and implementing city agency standards for cybersecurity, data management, privacy, and the use of Artificial Intelligence. 
2. Restore the independent NYC cybersecurity agency. The city previously created a separate agency to oversee cybersecurity, which improved the city’s defense and response time. The Office of Technology and Innovation currently oversees cybersecurity, shared services, IT policy and much more, including 311. It’s too much. The federal government has multiple agencies with responsibility for cyber defense and response. NYC needs at least one. 
3. Streamline IT hiring and improve IT staff development. Everyone in the field knows that we don’t hire well for IT in New York City. There are no easy answers that will improve things overnight. But with mayoral, agency commissioner, academia, labor and business support, there are many practices that we could begin using right away to hire skilled staff more quickly and effectively. We also need to develop training programs to keep our staff skilled and fulfilled to meet current and future needs.
4. Pilot first, procure second. Require challenge-based acquisitions to pilot major IT initiatives to speed delivery, improve quality of solutions and save money. Award contracts based on working prototypes developed during the competitions, not promises on paper. See it work before committing millions. The current acquisition process requires high stake requests for proposals, lengthy evaluation times and awards made after so much time has elapsed that the delivered solutions may already be obsolete.
5. Modernize IT systems. Use Agile project management to more efficiently replace old and obsolete systems that still power important NYC services. Agile project implementations can deliver working software before traditional software projects even get started.
6. Use artificial intelligence safely and strategically. AI has the potential to improve the productivity of the city’s administrative and field staff and to improve the safety of staff working in potentially hazardous conditions. We’ll need to carefully manage AI risk to jobs, equity, privacy and everyone’s well-being.

Computer operating systems support and govern the applications used on computers. It’s time to update NYC’s operating system to improve how the city provides government services to New Yorkers.