Public Eye: Who Holds the State Government Purse Strings?

Jarrett's point is well taken. The wants and needs of the users may influence initiatives, but the channel wastes a lot of time hitting up individuals that have no control over the purse strings. But in a political environment where all decisions are, well, political, the CIO is rarely the prime influencer of IT buying decisions either. Move further up the chain of command and you'll find the governor at the helm--ultimately controlling the budget.

Don't get me wrong--CIOs' statuses have elevated in the past few years. Their profiles went up right along with the percentage of budget dollars divvied to IT, and administrations finally saw the potential to cut costs and improve productivity with the right person overseeing IT initiatives. Despite the newfound admiration, CIOs can still find their hands tied by priorities.

Just look at Peter Quinn, former Massachusetts CIO, who resigned after being a lightning rod of controversy for advocating open source and blasting Microsoft. He said it best in a statement after his departure: "I sincerely hope that saner heads prevail and policy making and standards remain within the Office of the CIO."

The opposite has happened in most states. In Rhode Island, Thomas Collins left his position as CIO after a year and a half because his strategic planning goals differed from those of the state's director of administration. In Utah, CIO Val Oveson resigned at the end of 2004, when that state's governorship changed hands. And I've been told that Nebraska, which has an accomplished CIO in Brenda Decker, has seen IT progress stifled because of issues in the administration.

By contrast, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner was an asset. Warner had the foresight to create the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, led by a CIO elected to a five-year term and strategically managed by an independent IT investment board. It's no surprise that Virginia remains among the most innovative states in terms of technology, even with a new governor in office.

But that type of setup is rare. So where does that leave the channel? The advice of Delaware's Jarrett holds true: Solution providers have to win over the CIO if they expect to get consistent work. But solution providers that also consider the priorities of a given administration and introduce technologies that help drive those agendas, really stand to win.

Remember that in state government, just as with any other organization, the ultimate customer is one that has the final word.