Ohio Governor Kasich Touts the Importance of IT in State of the State Speech

From 3-D printing to cloud computing and information technology (IT) services, Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) in his State of the State address recognized that these cutting-edge technologies must have a home in Ohio. “They just can’t be somewhere else,” Kasich said. 

Gov. Kasich, following the scripts of other governors this year, focused on lowering state income taxes and investing more dollars in public education. Where he differed is that he praised the positive disruptive nature of emerging technologies as job creators and a way to attract and retain young workers with better, more exciting opportunities:

“If we look back on Ohio and we are only big heavy manufacturing and we forget the cloud computing—where we now have a billion dollar investment, the data and logistics that IBM brought to our state, the medical device companies, the medical imaging companies, the new IT services, the new financial services—that’s where the jobs are, folks. That's where the world is going.”

Kasich added, “No one likes rust. We need the new industries.”

We at the IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS) agree. IT companies can create a more dynamic economy and bring new, richer experiences to citizens. But that is only part of what the IT industry can offer. Ohio can revolutionize public sector services through strategic acquisition of IT technologies, creating efficiencies for how the state operates. For the long-term interests of the state, acquisition of dynamic IT technologies can offer better user-centric experiences for constituents similar to those that have enjoyed success in the private sector.

In the ITAPS Innovation Strategy that was shared with Gov. Kasich and other incoming administrations around the country, we listed 10 principles for states seeking to elevate IT innovation, including transforming limited budget resources to take advantage of the on-demand, shared resources offered by adopting a cloud first strategy.

Turning innovation into a cultural value that pervades every level of state government requires an evolution of thinking and engagement from the highest level state executive. As the governors of Florida and Pennsylvania fine-tune their upcoming state speeches, we urge them to include their vision of IT innovation solutions in the digital business of state government to deliver operational efficiencies, enhance revenue flows, and reduce costs for taxpayers.